Once again, the Montreal Canadiens have disappointed their fans with another loss.
Should I remind you that this is the eighth loss in nine games for the Tricolore?
Nothing to help the team stay in the famous mix…
As I write these lines, following the results of the two games this afternoon, only the poor Buffalo Sabres have fewer points than the Habs in the East.
We’re starting to lose a bit of patience in Montreal, and rightly so.
This was also the case for coach Martin St-Louis, who made a rather shocking statement in the post-game press conference after the defeat of his team.
The coach has every reason to become impatient, as his team simply isn’t showing up, apart from 2-3 players who are playing well (like Brendan Gallagher, who scored two goals today).
The coach needed to put on his boots and stir the pot, as things were starting to stick to the bottom of the cauldron.
And we saw it quite early in the game when he didn’t wait before demoting Juraj Slafkovsky to the third line in favor of Jake Evans.
A fully deserved demotion for Slaf.
Jakub Dobes also faced repercussions, as he was pulled from the game after allowing three goals on just eight shots.
Despite MSL seemingly losing patience, that’s part of the game. This is only the third year of the official rebuild: patience is required.
However, the coach doesn’t intend to say anything to his players for them to remain positive, as they know what they are capable of doing.
“I don’t think I need to convince them, they know what they’re capable of. I’m not going to beg and convince saying ‘Hey, we’re OK – let’s keep going’, no!” – Martin St-Louis
On this, the coach is absolutely right. Even though the group of players is quite young, they are not children either. They must pick themselves up, or they’ll face consequences like Slafkovsky.
In my opinion, the break for the Four Nations Tournament will do everyone good.
Slafkovsky actually already has plans:
Let’s hope the words will follow the actions, as the saying goes.
