How many times have we heard Canadiens players say that we need to stay in the present moment, forget the past and look forward? We don’t know if it’s because it’s a matchup against the Bruins, but the state of mind was different on the eve of the visit of the Habs’ old rivals.
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Curiously, Martin St-Louis and his men remembered the 9-4 beating suffered in Boston on January 20.
“We want to take our revenge,” said Jake Evans at the end of training.
Very close to him, in the Canadiens locker room in Brossard, Brendan Gallagher agreed.
“It’s one of the lowest moments of our season and we want to respond,” said the fiery striker.
It’s going well, because the veteran is always at his best in matches where the tension is palpable. Especially against the Bruins, the team against whom he collected the most points during his career (10 goals, 16 assists, in 39 games).
“It’s always easy to find motivation when you play against them. This is the style I like to play, said the striker. There is a lot of atmosphere in the building, whether there or here. I am aware of the history between these two teams.
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Call to pride
That said, the match got off to a good start for the Laval team this evening of January 20. The Montrealers took the lead on two occasions before seeing the game slip through their fingers towards the end of the second period.
“From the third period onwards, the match got away from us. Quickly,” underlined St-Louis, recalling the four goals the Bruins scored in the first eleven minutes of the third period.
This setback was the second suffered by the Habs at TD Garden on as many occasions this season. If the score from the second visit strikes the imagination, St-Louis maintains that it was during the first that his men looked worst. A 5-2 setback during which the locals led 3-0 and 5-1.
“The guys remember [de ces deux revers], for sure. They have pride, said the Canadian head coach. Now they [les Bruins] are coming to our building.”
Samuel Montembault, whose work evening ended after the Bruins’ eighth goal (on 30 shots), will once again face shots from David Pastrnak, Brad Marchand and their teammates.
The bears shocked, shocked
The good news for Montembeault is that, lately, the Canadian is doing well against good teams. Although winning hasn’t always been there, he has been solid against the Panthers, Lightning, Predators, Hurricanes and Maple Leafs.
“The Bruins are a team that is not easy to beat. We have to remember what allowed us to be successful against these good teams,” argued Evans.
At the head of the running certainly comes working in numerical inferiority. Since February 23, the Canadian has dominated the NHL with 91.7% efficiency (2 goals allowed in 24 opportunities).
But there is also a psychological aspect.
“We are more alert when we know what awaits us,” said St-Louis.
What awaits the CH is a team which is going through more timid moments, even if it has only suffered two losses in regulation time in its last thirteen matches (6-2-5). But above all it is a team possibly pissed off after suffering an embarrassing 5-1 loss against the Blues on Monday at home.
- The day after the victory against the Blue Jackets, Mike Matheson, Josh Anderson, Juraj Slafkovsky, David Savard and Tanner Pearson were entitled to days of treatment.