If one day Josh Anderson doubts the love Montreal fans have for him, he can rewatch the presentation of the three stars from Saturday night’s game and the ovation he received as he finished his interview on the ice. with colleague Renaud Lavoie.
It’s been a long time since the Bell Center was so excited for a first star awarded to a Canadiens player.
Photo Martin Chevalier
“I heard it from the entrance to the locker room. And there was music in the locker room. That means it was quite a loud ovation, said Martin St-Louis. It does not surprise me. Our fans appreciate players who work to overcome obstacles.”
“I’m proud of him. He deserves what he received, continued the Canadian head coach. What he went through wasn’t easy. He continued to fight. Like anything in life, if you give up, it’s certain that you won’t get what you want.”
Exactly. Although unable to beat a goalie in the first 29 games of the season, the Ontarian never gave up. He continued to work and show up near the opposing net, despite the lack of results and growing frustration.
“Every night he flies on the ice. He uses his physique. He creates chances, gets them himself. Succeeding in scoring changes the dynamic. This is just the beginning. I’m so proud of him,” said Cole Caufield, who himself ended a seven-game drought by scoring the winning goal.
It’s no coincidence that his teammates were as happy as if he had scored the first goal of his career.
“I was next to my net and I had my arms in the air,” said Samuel Montembeault. In addition, he scored two. And it was nothing incredible. He went to the net, he worked hard and he took advantage of good opportunities.
The awakening of the attackers
Anderson is not the only one to have benefited from a greater presence near the opposing goalkeeper. Joel Armia and Cole Caufield also beat Semyon Varlamov before seeing Christian Dvorak settle the Islanders’ fate in an empty net.
Five goals scored by Canadian attackers has not been seen since the very first match of the calendar, in Toronto. Moreover, it was only the third time in the campaign that the Habs had moved the strings on five occasions.
We have to believe that the work done in training over the last week is paying off. It’s been a few games now that we’ve seen the Habs’ attackers much more involved in offensive territory. They dropped passive mode.
“It’s a big part of our game, currently. Failing before is not only when we dump the puck. It’s also when we lose it in the offensive zone. We stay there, we are on them. We don’t give them room to breathe. When you start defending in opposing territory, you have less need to do it in your zone.
- This was the Canadian’s last game at the Bell Centre, in 2023. Martin St-Louis and his men will play their next seven games on opposing ice rinks. They will return home on January 4.