Whether it was refusing to bench Kirby Dach after a big mistake or inserting veteran Brendan Gallagher into a pivotal Game 5, St. Louis has pushed all the right buttons in a series that the Montreal Canadiens now lead 3-2 over the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Five games in, Montreal's Martin St-Louis is winning a coaching battle against Tampa Bay's Jon Cooper — and it's not even really close.
Then again, it probably shouldn't be close.
While Cooper has spent more than 700 games behind the bench than St-Louis has as a coach, Cooper cannot compare to what St-Louis has been through during a 16-year career as a Hall of Fame winger.
It's that in-game experience that has led St-Louis into making the kind of gut-instinct decisions that have been the difference maker in a back-and-forth series that is tilted 3-2 in Montreal's favor.
In Game 3, it was St-Louis' refusal to scratch Kirby Dach, who all of Montreal practically never wanted to see again following an earlier gaffe in the series, which has since resulted in Dach scoring two goals and an assist.
Two games later, St-Louis pushed the right buttons again, this time inserting veteran winger Brendan Gallagher into the lineup after sitting out the first four games of the series.
Once again, St-Louis was rewarded for his decision, as Gallagher opened the scoring in a 3-2 win on Wednesday night.
"It came time in the series where I felt like we probably needed a little more of that, and I know Gally is gonna give you that," St-Louis told reporters of Gallagher's goal. "I'm really happy the way he's handled everything and not surprised about how he did tonight."
This is what good coaches do. They listen to their guts — not the armchair coaches at home — and make the tough calls.
Most coaches might have benched Dach after he iced the puck in overtime in Game 2 and then lost his man on the winning goal. But St-Louis is not like most coaches. As a player, he was often underestimated and overlooked because of his lack of size. That constant criticism caused him to defy the critics and become one of the NHL's top forwards.
And so, instead of piling on Dach, who was forced to delete his social media accounts, St-Louis challenged the young winger to respond to the criticism, saying, "I'd never give up on a person unless he's given up on himself."
"I think Marty is a phenomenal coach and a great person," said Dach. "He's going to level with you on a personal level and kind of understand what you as a player are going through. I think he's also able to find ways to get the best out of each and every one of us — individual ways but also as a team and collectively. I've got to be thankful to have Marty as a coach."
Gallagher should also be thankful he's got St-Louis as a coach.
At his age, the 33-year-old has looked to slow and too old to make an impact in these playoffs. But with the series tied 2-2, St-Louis knew the Habs needed an emotional boost for Game 5 in Tampa, Fla. — something that rookie Oliver Kapanen might not have been able to provide. And so he rolled the dice on Gallagher.
Once again, it was the right call, as Gallagher drove hard to the net on his first shift and potted in a rebound to give Montreal a 1-0 lead.
"It came time in the series where I felt like we probably needed a little more of that, and I know Gally is gonna give you that," St-Louis told reporters after the game. "I'm really happy the way he's handled everything and not surprised about how he did tonight."
In the playoffs, the difference between winning and losing often comes down to goaltending, line-matching and special teams. The Xs and Os of coaching are obviously important. But equally important is the emotional side of the game.
You need to know what levers to pull and what buttons to push — and when to do nothing.
The Canadiens are one win away from advancing to the second round, mostly because their goalie has better than Tampa Bay's goalie and because their power play has been more dangerous and because they have Lane Hutson on defense. But really, they're in the driver's seat because of their depth and the decision-making of the Canadiens coach.
While Cooper has stubbornly relied heavily on his top-two lines for 10 of the team's 13 goals, St-Louis has squeezed every little bit of life out of his bottom two lines, which have combined for seven of their 14 goals.
In Game 5, it was Gallagher who did his coach proud. In Game 6 in Montreal, don't be surprised if St-Louis taps someone new to be the hero.
"I got some catching up to do," Gallagher, who scored his first playoff goal in five years, told reporters. "These guys have had some fun and been able to enjoy it. You grind all season to have this opportunity, you just want to enjoy it.
"You can't get lost in the importance of everything, you can't forget to have fun.”
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