Martin St-Louis said Thursday that he was convinced his team would beat the Columbus Blue Jackets even though they were down two goals. It was finally 48 hours later against the Philadelphia Flyers that the Montreal Canadiens pulled it off.
The Habs head coach’s unshakeable confidence is visibly contagious.
“We’ve come from behind a few times this season so we know we’ve got what it takes to get there,” center Christian Dvorak said after the Habs’ 5-4 shootout victory Saturday night at Bell Center. We’re confident even when we’re late in scoring. »
“In the last two games, we worked really hard to come from behind. We found a way to win this time. We need to have a better start to the game, but we know we are still in the game. »
It took a gem or two from Nick Suzuki for the Habs to topple the Flyers on Saturday. The captain first set the table for Cole Caufield’s equalizer with 1.9 seconds left in regulation time. He then performed a masterful feint in front of goalkeeper Carter Hart to score from the backhand in the shootout.
“He shows composure. He is very calm even when everything is going fast around him,” mentioned St-Louis about Suzuki’s exploits at the end of the game.
“He is doing something to prepare for the next game. It’s like chess, added St-Louis, returning to his cross pass to Caufield which led to the tying goal. He understands that the play that has just been made causes the opponent to rotate and he knows how to take advantage of the situation when he receives the puck. »
St-Louis also recalled that the intelligence and diversity of Suzuki’s game allowed him to continue to find Caufield alone on the other side of the ice. Suzuki has the primary assist on four of Caufield’s 11 goals this season.
“Deceit is a big part of his game,” St-Louis said. When he advances along the right flank, he will sometimes shoot and the opponent must respect that. And that’s where he finds Cole. If he never fired, maybe Cole wouldn’t be marked as often. It is therefore unpredictable. »
The rise of the Canadian against the Flyers came to forget a little the troubles of the team at the level of execution.
For long periods, the Habs had trouble orchestrating zone outings in control of the puck and sustained attacks in opposing territory.
“I think it was the first time tonight that a team gave us a hard time getting out of our zone in possession of the puck and back to the blue line with possession of the puck,” St. Louis admitted. . We will analyze this and try to find solutions. »
The Canadiens’ goaltenders have allowed at least four goals in each of the team’s last four games.
The players were off on Sunday. They will resume training on Monday, then host the Buffalo Sabers on Tuesday at the Bell Centre. The Canadian will then be in Columbus, Wednesday, then in Chicago, Friday, for duels against the Blue Jackets and the Blackhawks. Friday’s game will be played at 2 p.m.