In the midst of a four-game losing streak in which they’ve scored 10 goals and allowed 18, the Canadiens’ players were subjected to a brutal practice Monday where skating and puck fighting were ubiquitous.
And that is certainly not a coincidence. In fact, the composition of this session could not be more logical.
Minutes after Saturday’s loss to the Bruins, Martin St-Louis described his men’s game as “soft.”
And this weakness, with all objectivity, is unfortunately not an exception specific to the match in Boston. And it creates a domino effect with multiple consequences.
Currently, CH is in second (!) place in the NHL in penalty kicks. In this context, your attackers touch the ice less. The rhythm you’re trying to create, as a team, keeps breaking. Inevitably, you give the enemy few quality scoring opportunities, giving them either goals, or momentum, or both.
Moreover, the last two club games perfectly represent the problems we have been discussing.
But back to the softness.
Most of the penalties awarded to the Montrealers are mostly for situations where the team does not have the puck and is trying to get it back.
In other words, if CH manages to keep the disk more, it solves a very large part of its problems.
Well, he’s not becoming a Stanley Cup contender. But at least he ensures that he delivers matches that are much more divided than in the last ten.
But how, especially as a young group, to hold the puck more often?
In the main video, I summarize Martin St-Louis and Mike Matheson’s solutions (both very reasonable and unambiguous) on the matter.
Enjoy listening and… happy Monday!
