It's best to have a short-term memory in the playoffs, and the Montreal Canadiens are learning that they heard way.
Sunday night’s Game 4 between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning sparked outrage from fans and the ire of both coaches at times because of the inconsistency in the referees’ calls. The same can be said about the Canadiens’ players, who were rather frustrated just after the game, which is hardly surprising given what’s at stake.
As always, the matter was discussed at length on social media with plenty of slow-motion versions of the Oliver Kapanen high-stick call. But the truth of the matter is, Game 4 is over, and there’s no going back. The Canadiens have to turn over a new leaf and focus on what’s ahead rather than what’s behind. After all, the series is still tied 2-2, and there’s plenty left to play for.
On Monday morning, former NHLer and Stanley Cup Champion in 2007 with the Anaheim Ducks, Chris Pronger took to X with an important piece of advice:
There are always going to be calls you don’t like, especially this time of the year. You can’t control the whistle. You can control your response. Stay disciplined. Stay locked in. Play your game. That’s how you win when it matters the most.
In a nutshell, that’s exactly what the Canadiens must do on Wednesday night: they have to move on and focus on not giving the referees an opportunity to make calls. Martin St-Louis said it; he believes the Bolts are very good at making the Habs take penalties, that’s a trap he has to make his men avoid.
At the same time, they would do well to keep a close eye on Nikita Kucherov, the star forward, who has shown quite a temper in the past and was getting frustrated at times on Sunday. Montreal’s physical players should do everything in their power to mess with his concentration, because when he gets worked up, he can lash out and put Montreal on the power play.
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