The Montreal Canadiens have an important game on deck, but for them, it's just business as usual.
By the atmosphere in the dressing room, you wouldn’t know the Montreal Canadiens are mere hours away from playing a game in which they can eliminate the Buffalo Sabres. Not that they’re not taking it seriously, but there’s no nerves in the air. That might just be because coach Martin St-Louis has always preached short-term memory and that every day is just another day, just another game. Asked about the significance of the moment on Saturday morning, the coach explained:
Of course, the guys want to close the series tonight for sure, you know? Who doesn’t? In your building? You know, I think if you spend so much time telling them how important it is, you raise the level of stress. To me, it’s just another game. Let’s go play, the nets will be there, in the same spot, the blue line and the red, let’s go play. It’s about not getting caught up in the “oh, I've got to rise to this occasion.” It’s about playing to your standards with the details of the game; it’s going to be the same game. Let the rest take care of itself.
The players in the dressing room echoed the same message. Speaking to Jake Evans, who has become the Canadiens’ second-line center almost by default in this second-round series, I asked if he felt any pressure to produce offensively playing alongside Ivan Demidov, and he replied:
I truly don’t care about the numbers, but yeah, if I’m playing with them, I’d like to create some stuff for them. So yeah, not about numbers, but creating offense for sure.
Asked if he preferred the playing style in the first or the second round, he smiled and replied:
As long as you win…Is it hard to compare, right? They’re different styles in a way, but they’ve both been quite challenging.
As for Phillip Danault, he spoke of the difference in the vibe around this team compared to the 2021 version:
It’s huge, first of all, the group is much younger, the dynamic, the system, the staff, everything has changed. It’s still the same fans, though, although it’s different from 2021 numbers-wise. The crowd is going to be even more powerful, and it’s an honour to be able to play in the playoffs here, in Montreal, for these fans and for this special team.
The veteran centerman also added he was glad the young Canadiens were getting a second kick at the can of a Game 6, where they can eliminate their opponent, just two weeks after the Tampa Bay Lightning survived a similar game in Montreal. Just like his coach, though, he emphasized the need to stay loose.
When the puck drops on Game 6 in a few hours, the Canadiens shouldn’t be too nervous; the coaching staff did everything it could to ensure they aren’t.
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