(Detroit) Intensity and emotion were at the heart of the Canadiens’ recent victory over the Calgary Flames. Passing through Detroit on Saturday, the Montrealers want to reconnect with this state of mind against the Red Wings, while once again, they will try to finally win a second game in a row, which they failed to do. season.
“There is this fire that we want to find to get out of our bad patch”, illustrated Jake Evans after the morning training of his team.
Each of the Habs four wins this season has been followed by a performance at worst painful, at best ordinary.
After defeating the Wings 6-1 at home, CH collapsed 5-1 in Seattle. A 4-0 victory followed in San Jose, followed by an embarrassing 5-2 loss in Los Angeles. And the other win against the Wings (3-0) in Montreal preceded a 6-2 loss against the Islanders thereafter.
“When you win, it looks like you come back less aggressive the next game,” admitted Jake Evans. We have to fight it, play the right way and not give up. ”
Because, he insisted, “when we play with this fire, we are a difficult team to face.”
As is his habit, Brendan Gallagher had his feet right in the middle of the action against the Flames. The scuffle that followed his goal in the second period seemed to whip his team. And he enjoyed seeing this intensity in his camp.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, ARCHIVES THE PRESS
Brendan Gallagher
Raising our level of competitiveness makes us better players, he recalled. It’s more fun, everyone is more engaged.
Brendan Gallagher
“I think our players are gradually getting that feeling back,” added head coach Dominique Ducharme. We saw it during our five-game stay in Montreal. It wasn’t perfect, but I think we’re headed in the right direction. ”
Gallagher has already more than once, in recent weeks, insisted that he and his teammates are fully aware of the situation in which they find themselves in the standings – in the penultimate place of the conference of the ‘Is and 7 points from a potential playoff spot, while having played more games than the opponents to overtake.
Two games in two evenings against teams from the Atlantic division, in Detroit and Boston, are therefore critical to “go out. [l’équipe] out of his hole, ”according to Gallagher. “We have to win games in our division,” he said.
Goalkeeper Jake Allen will play a sixth straight game in Detroit and face Alex Nedeljkovic.
The Canadian roster will be the same as that which defeated the Flames last Thursday. Jonathan Drouin, absent from the morning training, will not participate in the meeting. Injured to the head, the Quebec striker is getting better, however, said Ducharme, and he should skate Sunday morning in Boston.
Mattias Norlinder will also be left out. The young defenseman has still not played in the NHL this season, and the organization will “soon” make a decision in his case, on whether we will send him with his Swedish club in Frolunda or whether we will keep him in the fold. CH. Under his contract, it is not possible for him to be ceded to the Laval Rocket to stay there for the long term.
Full squad at the Red Wings
The Red Wings, for their part, will face the Canadiens with a full squad for the first time this season.
PHOTO RICK OSENTOSKI, USA TODAY SPORTS ARCHIVES
Filip Hronek
Key elements were missed during their two visits to Montreal, which ended in final defeats. Defenseman Filip Hronek and center Dylan Larkin each missed one of the clashes, while winger Tyler Bertuzzi skipped both. The Wings’ top scorer has not played a game in Canada due to his refusal to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“These are three of our best players,” said forward Michael Rasmussen. We will finally have the chance to play and count on everyone. ”
Head coach Jeff Blashill is of course happy to have a full team on hand, but he especially emphasized the fact that his men were totally downgraded in the two losses at the Bell Center.
“They crushed us in the last game,” he said. They didn’t give us a lot of scoring chances, they won every battle, they were faster and they made us look bad defensively. They won regardless of who was there or not on our side. ”
“In the NHL you’re always going to miss guys, so you have to find a way to be successful. We will have to play better tonight. ”