ANAHEIM | In a game that will not go down in history, the Canadian lost 3-2 against the Anaheim Ducks at Honda Center on Friday night. Among the points we will remember from this loss, Jonathan Drouin scored his first goal of the season.
In the first minutes of the game, the Quebec forward pushed a loose puck into an empty cage. It was his first goal in 45 games. Drouin hadn’t scored since Jan. 1, 2022, when he scored against the Florida Panthers.
“It’s taken 2 because I thought I had done one a few months ago, mentioned Jonathan Drouin. I was happy to score early in the game.”
In recent weeks, Drouin’s name has been floated a few times for a potential trade. It didn’t happen.
“I’m happy to still be here,” he said. I love the team we have and they are going in the right direction. We see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
The past 24 hours have not been easy for him. He knew very well that he could have packed his bags for another destination.
“My nap was a little shorter than usual. You think about a lot of things. Now that I have a child, it’s not just me who would move. At 3 p.m., I breathed a sigh of relief. I love my experience that I arrived in Montreal.”
happy teammates
After he scored, we noticed Drouin’s broad smile, but also the reaction of his teammates on the ice and on the bench.
“We love him like no one else,” said Joel Edmundson. We were all very excited for him. The smile on his face said it all.
“He has just scored his first and we want him to continue in the same vein.”
On the side of Martin St-Louis, he felt the relief of his player.
“I am very happy for Jo. We are happy for him. He plays good hockey and is very comfortable with the puck. He plays a lot of games.”
In the notebook
- Justin Barron was unable to play against the Ducks. He injured his upper body after taking a hit badly Thursday in Los Angeles.
- Joel Edmundson was happy to stay with the Canadiens. A few minutes before the deadline, he sunbathed with a few teammates outside the team hotel. He seemed laid back even though his name was mixed up with a few rumors.
- As part of the diversity match, the orange county gay men’s chorus performed the national anthems.
- Legend Teemu Selanne was the guest analyst between the two teams’ benches for the encounter. He respectfully greeted Martin St-Louis before the first face-off.