Chase away the natural and it comes galloping back. This is somewhat the observation that the Canadiens players made on Saturday evening, after showing a significant improvement in their defensive performance in recent matches.
Six goals allowed, including five in the space of a dozen minutes in the second… In terms of a galloping comeback, it’s terrible.
“It’s disappointing. We can attribute it to our youth, but we should be at another point in our progress, said David Savard, visibly unhappy. We started making mistakes and piling them up like we were collecting them. »
MARTIN ALARIE / JOURNAL DE MONTREAL
“We felt like we were heading towards something. We got it on the face. It hurts,” agreed Kirby Dach, on the same subject.
The Albertan was the one who opened the valves by placing the puck directly on the blade of Jack Eichel’s stick.
“It’s a shit turnaround. This allowed them to take the lead. I could have managed the puck better,” he admitted.
Dissatisfied with the forward’s play, Martin St-Louis relegated him to the fourth line during the third period. Alongside him, Dach had Lucas Condotta and Juraj Salfkovsky. Another one who will quickly want to forget the visit of the Golden Knights.
“It doesn’t take much for me,” said Martin St-Louis, asked to comment on the demotion of these two players. As a coach, you make decisions and I try to be consistent. »
Slafkovsky encore puni
Like Dach, Juraj Slafkovsky did not bury his head in the sand. When the locker room doors opened. He was sitting at his locker. He was staring into space and his morale was low.
This is not the first time that St. Louis has tried to send a message to the Slovakian. Against the Blue Jackets, he made him jump a few tricks.
“I have to get my behind,” Slafkovsky said. There’s nothing else I can do right now. I don’t even know what to say, I’m sorry.”
The young player incurred the wrath of his coach by making a blunder at the opposing blue line. A pass intercepted by Ivan Basbashev, leading to a two-on-zero to Samuel Montembeault.
“It was poor decision-making. I had good control of the puck. I just made a stupid play,” he said.
No offense to David Savard and the other veterans of the team, we must believe that the learning curve is far from complete.
