Canadian 4 – Stars 3 | Something like a major victory

(Dallas) Was it an important victory? Either way, it felt like an important victory.

Arriving in front of the Canadian’s locker room at the end of the evening, the party was taking place in the place, to the sound of the classic Black Eyed Peas that we know. Then, it was the entire management, from Jeff Gorton to Kent Hughes, who chose to arrive in the area, to the sound of slaps on the back and bursts of laughter.

What will it be like if this team wins a series? The Canadian is not there yet, but in the meantime, there are obviously no small victories.

“It’s a big win for us,” explained captain Nick Suzuki. They have a good team and it’s good to be able to go home with a win. »

For this club, it is good, indeed, because this end of the trip will have been like the Canadian this season: capable of the good, capable of the less good.

The worst, we had seen in the three previous meetings, including a two-goal lead lost in Tampa, and a clear defeat against the Panthers at Sunrise.

But this time, we saw the good, in Dallas, against one of the good teams in the league. A hard won 4-3 victory, it is true, but a victory acquired the same, after the locals had transformed a 1-4 deficit into a more manageable deficit of 3-4.

But it ended up being over, and in the end, the Canadian can conclude this trip with a harvest of 7 points out of a possible 14.

“We played a good match following the plan on the road. It’s not the first time on the trip that we’ve played like that. We played 7 games and finished with a .500 record. If you look at the schedule, the amphitheaters where we played, I’m proud of the guys,” added the coach.

With joy, and despite concerns following the premature departure of Josh Anderson towards the locker room, the Canadian can still return to Montreal with the feeling of having grown up a little. This is undoubtedly the case, among others, of Juraj Slafkovsky, who indeed seems to grow as a player every evening and who served a very talented pass to Nick Suzuki on the Canadian’s first goal. “It’s part of my journey, and I feel more and more that I’m getting better,” explained the young striker.

From this long journey, this is undoubtedly what we will remember: through the ups and downs, this club seems to be heading somewhere. Where ? This part is not yet clear, but at least there is something that resembles a form of progress.

“Every good club we face is going to fight until the end,” noted defender Jordan Harris. We saw it against Tampa the other night: they were down 0-2 and they came back into the game. We are learning and we will also learn to know how to close the books when necessary. »

If we compare with the trip on the same dates a year ago, the one with the six defeats in a row to finish, this one looks like something of a great success. It was well worth a few measures ofI Gotta Feeling.

In details

Anderson injured

It was a very difficult evening for Josh Anderson. After being hit in the face by Jamie Benn’s stick, Anderson then suffered an injury in the third period that was certainly a source of concern when he fell to the ice, sustaining an injury to his right leg. Unable to put weight on his leg, Anderson required assistance to return to the locker room, and was not seen again. After the match, Martin St-Louis was not able to provide details on this situation.

Another defender who scores!

Defenders are not there to score goals. In any case, it’s not at the top of their job definition, but maybe those at the Canadiens didn’t get the memo. Thus, Jordan Harris’ goal, his first this season, during the second period of Tuesday night’s game in Dallas, was already the 30^e goal by a Canadiens defenseman this season, a record in the NHL in terms of goals scored by a team’s defensemen. In total, 30 of CH’s 103 goals this season were scored by defenders. “The coaches encourage us to support the attack, as long as we do it intelligently and choose the right moments to do it,” Harris explained. So I thought it was a good time to do it…”

Caufield, for a third time

It appears that Cole Caufield is doing pretty well these days. By scoring his 11^e goal of the season during the third period Tuesday evening, successful goal on the power play, the Canadian’s small forward thus offered himself a third game in a row with a goal, he who had also scored in the two previous meetings, in Tampa and at Sunrise. “He plays good hockey, he plays closer to the net and with more energy,” noted coach Martin St-Louis. He is more committed. I am happy to see that he reaps what he sows. »