At mid-season, it’s still early to identify a turning point in the Canadian’s long 82-game marathon. But if you think about it, could this be Patrik Laine’s return to the game? The arrival of Alexandre Carrier on the blue line? The kick in the butt of Sidney Crosby’s gang at the Bell Center 12 days before Christmas?
• Also read: Laine will miss another game
• Also read: The CH sent a message to Jake Evans
Bingo.
At least, in the opinion of many in the Habs locker room, the humiliating 9-2 slap given by the Penguins at home forced the players to look in the mirror, chat, put the cards on the table, turn the page and write a new chapter of the 2024-2025 campaign.
Getty Images via AFP
Question of returning to “the mix»…
Private chat
“Yes, it was a good kick in the butt,” said captain Nick Suzuki, smirking, also adding that this scathing defeat had resonated like a shovel to the forehead.
Getty Images via AFP
“It was terrible,” he added. We all learned a lot about ourselves in this match. It was embarrassing, especially playing at home.”
“We spoke afterwards. We had to find a way to be better and find a way to award ourselves A rather than C in our matches,” added goalkeeper Samuel Montembeault.
-Brief look back at this evening which suggested a catastrophic sequence. The Canadian disguised himself as Santa Claus by distributing a ton of gifts and multiplying blunders and failures on defense. Montembeault headed to the showers in the third period after allowing 6 goals on 14 shots. Josh Anderson had two penalties and posted a differential of -3, like Jayden Struble and Kaiden Guhle. From A to Z, especially in the last third, nothing worked.
Photo Martin Chevalier
Fans leaving after Anthony Beauvillier’s (LW) goal (PIT) during the third period of the NHL hockey game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens at the Bell Center on Thursday, December 12, 2024. – Photo Martin Chevalier
Takeoff after the Jets
According to Montembeault, the confidence of this sequence began to build in Winnipeg the following game. The Habs were then measuring themselves against THE power of the NHL.
“We didn’t want to play the same way against a big club, otherwise we would have had another volley there as well,” said the goalkeeper who kept the cage that evening in a 4-2 defeat.
“We played a good, close game and it was on the way back from Winnipeg that our streak took off. We had to make solid and constant efforts while keeping things simple.”
Since then, the CH has had a record of eight wins and three losses, having enjoyed great success during its long holiday travels.
“This thaw coincides with this new confidence,” said defenseman Mike Matheson. We reset the counter to zero. It’s important to keep in mind that we don’t need another one!”
