Martin St-Louis liked half of the match

There is one half of the match that Martin St-Louis liked, and another that he would have preferred not to see.

“It’s a match in two parts, we were excellent in the first period until the middle of the second and then we started to hurt ourselves,” he explained. I didn’t like the discipline and puck management. It was not an easy second half of the match to manage.”

He didn’t like his team getting disorganized and giving the Predators five power plays, including three in the third period. He also became impatient during an advertising break.

Fortunately, his team did the job short of a man by giving nothing to the visitors, Jake Evans even opening the scoring shorthanded.

“Our disadvantage is one of the big positive points of our year, there is great consistency. “It’s certain that sometimes the channel comes up,” he noted, making a nod to last Saturday’s game in which the Rangers scored three times on the power play.

Thanks “Monty”

If the Canadian held his own during the five massive attacks of the “Preds”, it is in particular thanks to the brilliance of Samuel Montembeault who blocked the 29 shots he faced to collect his third shutout of the season.

“Your best shorthanded player is your goalie and tonight, we were able to keep the separation that we created because of our disadvantage and our goalie,” mentioned St-Louis.

Confirmed as Canada’s goalkeeper for the 4 Nations Showdown, Montembeault has just had two good consecutive matches.

“I knew it since Sunday and the last two matches I played was to prove that they had made the right choice, that I really had my place,” he admitted.

David Savard knows that his teammate is going through a good streak and the whole team is on a better path according to the defender.

“Everyone plays better, we make his job easier, we give fewer big chances to score and when there are chances, he makes saves all the time, he is extremely solid these days.”

The wool effect

Patrik Laine scored a goal in a second straight game since his return to the game and once again from the faceoff circle. His presence ensures that the team’s attack is better balanced according to David Savard.

“It brings one more guy who is a really dangerous shooter, it allows you to separate the defensive confrontations on the other side. It can help him, it also helps our front line. And on the numerical advantage, he can be extremely dangerous.

After Tuesday’s game, Laine admitted that he didn’t like his performance that much, his assessment was a bit better on Thursday night even if returning to the game should be like getting back on a bicycle after a long time.

“Some parts of the game aren’t like riding a bicycle right now, but this was a little better. I wasn’t dying after each attendance, that’s a good sign. I wasn’t out of breath after 20 seconds, that’s an improvement, but the pucks are still bouncing a bit and I’m losing pucks that I wouldn’t normally lose. When playing, it will come, it doesn’t worry me that much.”