Last season, the rebuilding Montreal Canadiens stayed focused on player development while sliding to their 31-45-6 finish. This season they are looking to translate growth into more victories.
“The group steered us in that direction,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis said. “We have to make decisions that help us get the two points, but also we have to factor in the youth of our club and where we want to be.”
Montreal earned points in seven of its first 10 games. The Canadiens will try to extend their upward trend when they visit the St. Louis Blues on Saturday to finish a three-game Western Conference road trip.
The Canadiens were on a 4-1-1 roll and had earned points in three consecutive games before falling 3-2 to the Arizona Coyotes on Thursday. They failed to match the effort they gave in a 3-2 shootout loss to the reigning Stanley Cup champion Vegas Golden Knights on Monday.
“Our execution was off in the first period, in the second period, and I think we played probably 20 percent of what we played in Vegas,” Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said. “I think we need to find a way to have a better start. Our power play couldn’t get one early, and it was just kind of a scramble.”
One player the Canadiens want to get going is forward Juraj Slafkovsky, the first overall pick in the 2022 draft. He has no goals and one assist through 10 games this season, prompting speculation that a confidence-building stint in the American Hockey League could be in order.
“He’s fine,” Montreal goaltender Jake Allen said. “He seems great every day. Honestly, compared to last year, his mood is super impressive. He comes to the rink to work every day, and I’ve never seen him down. He’s doing the right things.”
Canadiens winger Rafael Harvey-Pinard is questionable for the Saturday game due to a lower-body injury he sustained against the Coyotes. He is listed as day-to-day.
The Blues snapped a two-game losing streak with a 4-1 victory over the visiting New Jersey Devils on Friday night. St. Louis got production from its supporting cast in the win, with Kevin Hayes getting three points (two goals, one assist) and Jake Neighbours scoring a goal.
After producing just 14 goals in their first eight games, the Blues focused on creating and sustaining more offensive pressure against New Jersey.
“We started the game really well, skating, pressure, forechecking, shot the puck,” Blues coach Craig Berube said. “I really liked our pace in the first period. Same in the second, too. I thought we got a little too much east-west later on in the second period, some puck plays through the neutral zone, things like that. Kind of stopped skating a bit.
“They came hard in the third, but I thought we handled it well.”
The Blues started Jordan Binnington in goal Friday against the Devils, so Berube will likely come back with Joel Hofer (1-1-0, 3.01 GAA) vs. the Canadiens.
“Montreal is playing well,” Berube said. “They’ve got some real good speed on their team, some great skill, so we’re going to have to play smart. We’re going to have to skate and just play predictable with structure against them.”
–Field Level Media
