“I know that in an environment where there are a lot of losses, it’s easy to focus on the negative. But me, as a coach who has only been there for four days, I am not in a position to be negative. »
Posted at 3:09 p.m.
Updated at 5:22 p.m.
Martin St-Louis more or less felt like talking about his team’s setbacks on Sunday. We can understand that after a tenth defeat in a row, unheard of at CH since 1926, he does not want to persist in what has already been an uninterrupted train accident for months.
Because yes, there is also beauty in the life of the Canadian, so let’s celebrate the new coach and highlight the positive elements to remember from this 5-3 loss against the Buffalo Sabers.
Top of the honor roll: Corey Schueneman. Shunned by even the most daring poolers, the 26-year-old defender could well become one of the great stories of this hideous season.
Never drafted, the American defender made such a good impression with the Laval Rocket last year that the Canadiens offered him a first NHL contract. He hadn’t looked dropped at all on his first outings with the big club earlier this season, and it was he who was trusted to replace Ben Chiarot at short notice. We learned that the big number 8 had suffered a “lower body” injury and that he would be out for about a week.
The problem for Schueneman is that he had already played two games, Friday and Saturday, with the Rocket. And that the Habs faced the Sabers at 12:30 p.m. Never mind, even though he was called in a hurry on Sunday morning, barely a few hours before the first puck drop, he played a solid game, concluded with an assist and almost 20 minutes spent on the rink.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Brendan Gallagher and Nick Suzuki
“He really impressed me with the rhythm of his game and his decision-making,” said Martin St-Louis, particularly sympathetic to his cause of having played three games in less than 48 hours. Seeing his good performance from the start of hostilities, the coach whispered to Luke Richardson, a specialist in defenders, to trust him. And that’s what happened.
“It was okay,” Schueneman joked after the match, referring to his weekend workload. He of course recalled that in no case would he have shunned a recall in the NHL. “You always have to be ready,” he said. Those who stand out are those who make the most of their chances. »
As much for him as for his team, this match was “a step in the right direction”. “I believe that with each game, I can improve and show that I belong here.
That the Canadian calls him back before Sami Niku or Xavier Ouellet is already a mark of recognition for him. And if veterans were to be exchanged in the coming weeks, he might not cross the Rivière des Prairies again until spring.
Poehling
Another one who looks awfully good is Ryan Poehling – see the influential ‘Rising’ column on this.
His coach judged that the trio he piloted in the center of Joel Armia and Artturi Lehkonen had been the best of his team. It’s not really good news when it’s the fourth unit that is the most prolific, but since it’s time for benevolence, let’s pay tribute to the work of the three support employees instead.
In reality, these three players were expected on the fourth line before the start of the season. All sorts of circumstances meant that they hardly played together since then, but we have to admit that their reunion yielded good results.
Poehling praised Armia’s ability to protect the puck and create space for his linemates, and Lehkonen’s ability to work tirelessly. “I hope we will stay together to continue building our game,” he said.
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Joel Armia (40) scored his second goal of the season.
“I know that with the concepts that I bring, the intelligent players will stand out, argued Martin St-Louis. I don’t yet know how high Poehling’s intelligence is, but with the little information I have so far, I’m very encouraged. »
It’s not the most elegant way to put it, but we understand where he is coming from.
Petry again
It’s all well and good, the positive, but if everything was rosy, the CH would not have lost 10 games in a row.
The Montrealers certainly defended themselves well, but once again, it wasn’t enough. Cole Caufield’s reunion with Nick Suzuki didn’t go well at all, evenly and on the power play. And, at the risk of persisting, we still have to talk about Jeff Petry.
His match, on an individual level, could serve alone as an allegory to sum up that of his team. Until the middle of the third period, he was playing his best game in ages: solid in his territory, effective out of the zone, involved in attack – he even scored, a rarity. However, the natural has come back at a gallop.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Jeff Skinner (53), Jeff Petry (26) and Samuel Montembeault (35)
Petry aimed for Lehkonen out of bounds, but instead gave the puck to Alex Tuch, who happily passed it to Jeff Skinner. Taken on the wrong foot, the defender clung to his opponent, made him stumble and the puck entered the goal. It was then 4-3 for the Sabres, who no longer looked back.
“Petry will learn from these games, predicted Martin St-Louis. We will continue to help him correct his mistakes. He does a lot of good things too, which the world doesn’t talk about. »
It is undoubtedly true. But when the errors are so glaring, night after night, it becomes difficult to talk about his elegant skating.
In details
New regression for Price?
Social networks jumped when TVA Sports indicated, during its broadcast of Sunday’s game, that goalkeeper Carey Price had not skated for five days. The goalkeeper is still in rehabilitation following knee surgery last summer. He himself admitted, two weeks ago, to having suffered two regressions during his recovery, and crossed his fingers that his third attempt to return to the game would be the right one. After several days of hard work in the gym, Price skated early last week but has yet to receive a shot in practice. For him to hand over his equipment for five whole days would not be a sign of good news in his case. The Canadian did not respond to our requests for confirmation of the information from TVA Sports.
Jeff Skinner loves Montreal
Jeff Skinner has had many ups and downs since the start of his career. Canadiens fans, however, haven’t often seen his dark side. Heading into Sunday’s game, the former Carolina Hurricanes claimed 29 points in 33 games against the Flanelle. At the final siren, the count was now 34 in 34, the result of a masterful performance of five points, including four goals, scored with panache moreover. A deflection, a veiled shot, a fall towards the net after a breakaway as well as an individual maneuver at the end of the match: something for everyone, in short. After the win, the hero of the day said he couldn’t remember his last four goals in a game, “not even in the Ontario Junior League.” Verification made, Skinner was telling the truth, he who, despite 77 goals in two seasons with the Kitchener Rangers as well as four seasons of 30 or more goals in the NHL, had never done better than a vulgar hat trick.
The end of scarcity
Last Thursday, during Martin St-Louis’ first game with the Canadiens, Cole Caufield ended a 17-game scoreless streak. On Sunday, Jeff Petry and Joel Armia both hit the mark after going 11 and 18 games respectively without moving the ropes. Should we attribute these successes to the aura of a scorer with more than 400 career goals (season and playoffs) behind the bench? We will probably never know, unless all the other club droughts end by magic over the next few days. Among the most “due” candidates, we note Chris Wideman (22 games without scoring), Alexander Romanov (16), as well as Ryan Poehling and Brendan Gallagher (10 each).
They said
I played against [Corey Schueneman] at university and with him in Laval, I have known him for a long time. He sees the ice well, he’s a good skater, he’s calm with the puck and makes good plays. He can trust his legs if things don’t go his way.
Ryan Poehling
We do a better job of not getting too shaken up after giving up a goal. Before, we lowered our heads, now the four lines are coming back strong.
Nick Suzuki
Martin [St-Louis] bring new ideas. We try to break our bad habits, whether it’s little games or the way we position ourselves on the ice.
Nick Suzuki
I don’t know yet what the bad habits of the players are. I focus on the things I want them to do, not the things they did. I haven’t had a chance to sit down with the players for that yet.
Martin St Louis
Personally, I know that we haven’t won the last three games, but watching them, I know that we did a lot of good business, things that I brought and that the players were able to run fast enough. I am proud of their work. We will continue to progress. There has already been a lot of progress in three games.
Martin St Louis
Rising
Ryan Poehling
PHOTO OLIVIER JEAN, THE PRESS
Jeff Skinner and Ryan Poehling
It was getting harder for him before the All-Star break, but he’s been one of his team’s most consistent forwards for three games. His light pass to Joel Armia earned him a well-deserved point.
Falling
Nick Suzuki
He is certainly not a regular in this section, but we have to admit that the center player did not have a very good game. The withdrawal of Artturi Lehkonen in favor of Cole Caufield on his left will require adjustments.
The number of the game
38
With three wins already this season, the Sabers could conclude next week a first sweep against the Habs since the 1983-1984 season, that is to say for 38 years. Led at the time by Scotty Bowman, the Buffaloniens had won the eight (!) duels between the two teams.