Canadiens Leaders Are Not Mincing Words

The Montreal Canadiens face a pressing issue: they need to protect a third-frame lead and skate away with two points. Coach Martin St-Louis was clearly fuming after his men’s latest defeat against the San Jose Sharks on Tuesday night, but he wasn’t the only one.

Despite the Habs first line having a great night with its three members combining for six points, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky were not happy at all when speaking to the media after the game. Chances are, Nick Suzuki would have been in the same frame of mind, but he wasn’t available to meet the press as he was receiving treatment, likely after blocking a shot with his hand,

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Slafkovsky, who’s a notorious slow starter every season, now seems to have found his cruising speed with a couple of two-point games in a row. However, that’s not what his mind was on after the loss:

We were up 3-1 three times in one week, you can’t let the other team come back. We’re not going to win every overtime we play, so that’s just the way it is.

As for the sniper, he explained:

This has happened too many times for our liking; when you go with a lead in the third, especially at home, there’s really no excuse.

Asked what the team needed to do, the American made it sound really simple:

Stay out of the box, play a more mature game in the third; this has happened too many times for our liking.

Caufield also weighed in on the penalties taken by both Jakub Dobes and Arber Xhekaj. On Xhekaj’s trip to the box he explained:

There’s just really no need to do that. […] I don’t think anyone’s wanting to fight him on that team, and he should know better than that. But it’s part of the game. I get it’s the heat of the moment, but again, it just gave them another opportunity to get back in the game.

As for Dobes’ interference penalty, he added:

There’s really no need for any of those penalties. Really, it’s on us. It’s our mistakes. We’re giving them opportunities to get back in the game, and it’s not very mature of us.

Of course, nobody likes being called out in public, but the situation has reached that point. That’s part of being a team leader: being able to tell it like it is. There’s no doubt the players had a good talk among themselves, but being upfront about it in public also shows how aware the team is of its issues.

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