BOSTON | Martin St-Louis summed up his appreciation for his group’s performance against the Bruins in just a few words.
“I didn’t like much,” he said at the end of that 5-2 loss.
The Canadian head coach assured that he was not against the work of his troops, but rather the way they worked.
“We respected them too much. Whether it was one-on-one fights, body checks or fights for the puck, we were gentle,” he said.
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As for the excessive respect, Johnathan Kovacevic was in complete agreement with his coach. He felt like he and his teammates gave up the blue line to the Bruins forwards far too easily.
A mistake that allowed Boston to install and deploy their stunning attack.
“It’s a fine line between playing it safe and being a little more aggressive. You have to know how to choose the right moment. “I think we were too passive when entering the zone this evening,” analyzed the defender.
“We made their lives way too easy,” Mike Matheson said on the same topic. They had the puck far too often. »
Set the thermostat correctly
In the morning, St-Louis, anticipating an emotional evening, indicated that it was important to find the balance between emotion and competitive level in order to remain disciplined while going full throttle.
“We need to be thermostats, not thermometers. We have to sort things out,” said the Canadian pilot, using an analogy whose secret only he knows.
The Canadian provided the Bruins with five power plays. Aside from the two minor penalties Kovacevic received in the same sequence, we can’t say the Habs mismanaged their emotions. And when was he at competitive level? Was the adjustment correct?
“We worked hard, but sometimes it’s not enough. You have to work smart,” Matheson said.
Slow starts
This is the second time in a row that the Canadian has been taught a lesson by one of the NHL powers. The score of 6-5 in favor of the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday in no way reflected how the game went. One could have expected a better response in Boston.
“We knew it wasn’t a great home game. “We wanted to get back together tonight, but it took half of the game for us to change the dynamic a little,” emphasized Nick Suzuki.
“It can’t take that long to get going. “We have to find a way to have a better start,” he continued.
The Canadian captain hit the nail on the head. The goals from Charlie McAvoy and Trent Frederic (his first of the night) were the 17th and 18th the Habs allowed in the first period. For his part, he scored only 10 points.
Sooner or later we will have to deal with this.
With Sunday off, the Canadian will train on Monday morning before flying to California to face the Ducks, Sharks and Kings. The first two cases are teams that are within reach of the Canadian.