Earlier this week, Martin St-Louis said he would not give up in the case of a player if he himself continued to get his hands dirty.
The loyalty of the Montreal Canadiens head coach and the efforts of Josh Anderson were rewarded, as the power forward finally beat a goalie in a game for the first time in his 30th game of the campaign .
Anderson scored two goals in a 5-3 victory against the New York Islanders on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
“I’m proud of him,” St-Louis said of the 29-year-old Ontarian. His start to the season was not easy. He deserved what finally happened to him because he always fought.
“It’s like in all aspects of life, if you give up, you will definitely not achieve your goals. »
Anderson broke the ice on December 4, scoring in an empty net against the Seattle Kraken.
On Wednesday, he received a warm reception from the crowd when he showed up in the 12th round of a shootout and was touched by that reaction, although he did not score and Jansen Harkins later gave the victory to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“It was special, yes,” Anderson said. The last two matches were special. As a player, you don’t necessarily expect that when you’re struggling. But I’ve been saying it since I arrived here, and even when I came as a visitor when I wore the colors of the Columbus Blue Jackets, these are the best fans in the NHL. »
During his streak of failure, Anderson admitted that the games where he wasted several scoring opportunities and the team lost were the ones that particularly hurt.
Anderson did not give specific names, but thanked his teammates, coaches, Canadiens management, friends and family for their constant support during possibly the toughest stretch of his NHL career.
Like the fans, his teammates were obviously very happy to see him finally escape the vigilance of a goalkeeper.
“He is an important part of our team and a great teammate,” said forward Sean Monahan. He was due to be rewarded and I think he’s going to be off to a great start. »
Anderson’s success helped the Canadian finish his 2023 home schedule on a high note.
The team will return to the Bell Center only on January 4, against the Buffalo Sabres.
The Canadian headed to Winnipeg on Sunday in preparation for a duel against the Jets on Monday. He will then visit the Minnesota Wild and the Blackhawks before his Christmas break.
He will play against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 28, the Florida Panthers on December 30, the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 31, then the Dallas Stars on January 2.
Last season, the Habs compiled a 1-5-1 record during their holiday trip. He has not presented a winning record during this journey since the 2018-19 season (4-2-0).