(Minneapolis) “We work hard, we play hard. » The sentence does not come from a Canadiens player, but from a worker in a steel factory that Homer visits with Bart in The Simpsons.
But the CH players could certainly have used these same words in training on Wednesday at the Xcel Energy Center.
Each goal, especially during special teams exercises, was followed by loud cries of joy. A relay from reserve Emil Heineman sparked the enthusiasm of director of hockey development, Adam Nicholas. “What a success, we’re going to see her again at top 10 of SportsCenter ! », exclaimed Nicholas.
Jake Allen and Cayden Primeau were having fun attempting one-timers – with their goalie sticks! – while waiting for Éric Raymond to come onto the ice. “I used to do it a lot, but it’s been a really long time since I practiced with the puck like that,” Allen told The Press.
It’s a good hour-long workout that Martin St-Louis put together. The youngest, notably Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky, stretched it out by around thirty minutes while their coach and their teammates spoke to the media.
One of the exercises began with a three against zero against a goalkeeper, then the attack returned to the other zone, where the game took place five against five. Asked about the purpose of the exercise, St-Louis dropped an interesting bit of information.
“It’s a 200-foot exercise, there are quite a few things, dealer with the attack [en relance], how you get into your zone, how you defend it. I don’t think you have to do every exercise for 200 feet, so we try to alternate between exercises for 100 feet and 200 feet. Otherwise, it would be too physically demanding.
“We have a level of intensity that we can reach. We have the data live on the bench, so I know how hard I push my team. We can always adjust. »
Players have been wearing sensors for a few years, but this is the first time in living memory that we’ve heard a coach talk about using real-time data.
“I’m skating at the bench, I ask where we are, and he [Dale Lablans, entraîneur au conditionnement physique] give me a number. That tells me where we are. We are targeting a certain area. Sometimes I will add, stretch or remove an exercise. »
The schedule for the second half of December lent itself to a more demanding session on Wednesday. Saturday was match day, Sunday’s training was canceled due to the flight to Winnipeg, Monday was also match day and Tuesday, the players had training off. So it was the first training in five days; the next one will only take place next Wednesday, the 27th, since the Christmas break will begin after the duels on Thursday in Minnesota and Friday in Chicago.
“The goal is for it to be optimal tomorrow evening,” recalled St-Louis.
Few details
The magic number and how it is measured remains a mystery. ” I do not know. This is a question for Adam [Douglas, directeur de la science du sport et des performances]. He gives me a number, but I don’t really know what it means! » St-Louis specifies, however, that this is a collective measure.
The players, for their part, were not any more aware, for the simple reason that it went, for the most part, 10 feet over their heads.
“It’s a good tool to manage our energy,” explained forward Sean Monahan. The coaches can answer our questions, but I don’t look at it too much. I know how I feel when I get up. »
“I never watch that!” admitted Samuel Montembeault. Dale takes care of it here, Adam at home. If there is something, they will say it, but more to the coaches than to me. »
Ditto for his partner in front of the net Jake Allen. “I don’t look at it too much, I know when I’m tired or not, over the years. Maybe it was different when I was younger. »
Special units to follow
And what was all this work for? The Canadian may have won his last two matches, but he has work to do.
The numerical advantage monopolized the first portion of the training. The team is at 22e rank this season, at 18%, but performs better in December (22%). On the other hand, on Monday in Winnipeg, the two goals were scored in these particular circumstances; the first, by Christian Dvorak, required a lengthy video review due to a possible hand pass, and the second, by Justin Barron, was scored four on three.
The numerical advantage exercises necessarily made it possible to work on the numerical inferiority, which continues to struggle (70% in December, 30e in the NHL). Joel Armia, who formed an attacking duo with Jake Evans, however allowed himself a disadvantageous goal, a goal which was greeted with joy and joy.
“It was a big goal. We simulated a match situation and we lost by one goal. We were trying to get a goal, we were lucky! “, noted Evans.
These same special units sank the Canadian during his other duel against the Wild, on October 17. Montreal had a 2-0 advantage at five-on-five, but lost 5-2.
“It was so early in the season that we shouldn’t draw too many conclusions from it,” argued Evans. We will be able to correct certain things compared to the last match, but there is also the fact that it was very early in the calendar and that we were not ready for certain situations, for which we are now. »
In short
Naughty streak to break
Minnesota has not smiled so much on CH in recent years. Their last victory dates back to March 20, 2011, thanks to three goals from PK Subban. Of the 20 Habs players in uniform that evening, Lars Eller is the only one who is still active. We might as well say that it’s been a while… “We’re due,” said Martin St-Louis. Since 2011, CH has suffered nine losses in a row, with an aggregate score of 16-44. “I don’t watch it too much, but I know they are good at home. It hasn’t been great on our last few visits here, admitted Jake Evans. We are building something strong and special. We have to continue to do that and not let ourselves be distracted by the ice advantage. »
The net in Montembeault
It is Samuel Montembeault who will have the mission of helping the CH chase away its demons here, in what will probably be his last departure before Christmas. The Quebecer is having a good streak with a 4-1-1 record in the last month, for a total of 7-4-2 since the start of the season. Montembeault is, however, the one of the three who benefits from the best offensive support. The Habs average 2.94 goals per game when they play, compared to 2.46 for Jake Allen and 2.10 for Cayden Primeau.
Good words for Evans
Martin St-Louis gave Jake Evans a chance on the top two lines and says he’s encouraged by what he sees so far. In seven games since his promotion, Evans has three points (one goal, two assists) and wins 64.6% of his faceoffs, notably because playing with left-handed center Sean Monahan, everyone can take faceoffs on his strong side. On Monday, one of his won faceoffs was followed by a Jets penalty at the end of the third period, and it was during the subsequent numerical advantage that CH scored the winning goal. “He makes good decisions with the puck. When there is nothing, he will put it in the right place for his teammate. And if he has space, he is capable of making plays,” said St-Louis.