The Montreal Canadiens were dominated by the Ottawa Senators on Saturday night, and coach Martin St-Louis won't let his men lose sight of that fact despite the fact that they won.
The Montreal Canadiens might have left the nation’s capital with two points on Saturday night, but they didn’t deserve them. For most of the game, the Ottawa Senators were the dominant side. They didn’t deserve to lose, but you don’t always get what you deserve on the ice. However, most of the time, playing in a way that’s deserving of winning is a recipe for success.
In what was a rivalry game on Saturday night, the Canadiens looked worryingly flat for long stretches. Having 12 shots on goal through 55 minutes in a must-win game is just unacceptable. Had the Senators gotten just acceptable goaltending, they would have obliterated the Canadiens. Not so long ago, Martin St-Louis wouldn’t have criticized his team in front of the media, back when it was all about development rather than about winning. Now, though, the Habs are after results, and the coach was clear after the game:
We were dominated in the second and the third. We lacked execution and pace; they were playing faster than us. With the pace they brought, they were playing heavy, and we were struggling to get out [of our zone]. In the second, we had long shifts, and we lost a lot of momentum. Their power play gave them momentum; ours took some away from us, aside from our first two power play opportunities. But if you don’t give up, you give yourself a chance. That’s what we did, we went out and got big goals, we came out with a win that I don’t think we deserved, but we got it nonetheless.
St-Louis went on to say that it was the worst second and third periods they had played in quite some time and added that he didn’t know the reason behind it, whether they were tired or the schedule was too demanding. He praised his team’s resiliency and said they would be discussing it.
Asked how he wanted his team to process the game, he replied:
With truth. I think we’re a pretty honest group. I think it helps us progress and move forward when you’re honest about the actual play, not the result.
It’s no longer about building the group’s confidence as it was in the development stage; the Canadiens know they have big-moment players in their lineup, the kind of guys who can score big goals when needed. Now it’s about realizing that even though they won the game, being dominated as they were could have been costly, and it should be avoided at all costs.
The way St-Louis answered the questions after the game on Saturday night was reassuring. Not that he threw his players under the bus, he’ll never be that kind of coach, nor should he be, but he intends to keep them honest and own up to their flaws. That media availability showed that the team isn’t the only one maturing; the coach’s approach is, too.
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