Forget the bare bleachers and the perception of mediocrity that seems to follow the team. Christian Dvorak insists he has nothing but good things to say about his five campaigns with the Arizona Coyotes.
“We have participated in the playoffs once and we have been in the race three times,” noted Sunday the man who now wears the colors of the Montreal Canadiens.
“Once in the race, later in the season, there are more spectators,” he added. The supporters are fine. It’s a great place to play hockey and to live. The weather is wonderful. I had good times. »
Dvorak moved from the Coyotes to the Canadiens on September 4, in a trade made in response to Jesperi Kotkaniemi leaving for the Carolina Hurricanes through a hostile offer.
Dvorak’s departure took place as part of a major cleanup among the Coyotes. Of the 26 players who played at least 10 games with the Coyotes this season, only 10 donned the same uniform last season.
“It’s weird to see that there are so few players left, but it’s also weird to go into the dressing room of the visiting team,” admitted Dvorak.
“I have a lot of good memories here,” added the man who tallied 146 points in 302 games with the Coyotes. It was the team that drafted me, that took a chance in choosing me. »
When Dvorak left the heat of the Arizona desert for the cold of Quebec, he probably didn’t think that his first meeting against his old team would mark a duel between the two worst teams in the standings. But that’s what will happen on Monday afternoon at the Gila River Arena.
The Coyotes (8-24-4) edge the Canadiens (7-24-5) by one point at 31and rank in the overall NHL standings.
While some Canadiens supporters have already turned the page on the campaign and hope to see the Habs finish last in order to have the best chance of getting the first right to speak in the next draft, head coach Dominique Ducharme continues to have the same intentions with his club.
“We want to win every game,” he said. We’re not halfway through the season yet. We have players who are slowly coming back. We have to build our game and be consistent in order to be successful.
“We want to have a good game here tomorrow [lundi] and start winning with regularity. »
Ducharme did not specify which of Samuel Montembeault or Cayden Primeau will face the shots of the Coyotes. Whoever is not chosen for this meeting should be in net the next day against the Dallas Stars.
Raise the counter
The Coyotes (2.14 goals per game) and the Canadiens (2.08) also represent the two worst offenses in the NHL.
Joel Armia and Cole Caufield are among the many players whose production has disappointed this season with the Habs, while the two have only one goal on the clock after 31 and 28 games respectively.
Far from being the most talkative in front of the cameras, Armia had no explanations to provide to explain his troubles.
” I do not know. I have no idea, said the man who scored 36 goals in 156 games in his three previous seasons with the Canadiens. If I knew what to do, I would correct the situation. »
“I think I could get more scoring chances,” he added. I want to focus on the rest of the season and forget about the first 30 games. »
A little more lucid, Ducharme presented similar options to Armia and Caufield to come out of their torpor.
“They are not going to create things the same way, everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, but to create chances, to produce, there is a process, a way of doing things, a way of playing, of using your strengths. “explained Ducharme.
The Canadiens coach also insisted there was no lack of commitment either way.
“Maybe from the outside it looks like that,” Ducharme said, coming to Armia’s defense. He’s a person who doesn’t jump around, who doesn’t show his energy the most, but he’s a proud guy, who knows he can bring more. »
Armia should end up on the right of Artturi Lehkonen and Jake Evans on Monday. It was when he played with them on November 14 against the Boston Bruins that Armia scored his only goal of the campaign.
“I’m comfortable with those two guys. We played well every time we got together. It should be fun,” Armia concluded.