Twenty-six games. This is what remains to the season of the Canadian. With the infirmary overflowing, the victories which are rare and the non-existent fight for a place in the playoffs, this last stretch could be long.
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Obviously, it depends on the perspective from which we look at the situation. A philosopher in his spare time, Martin St-Louis used a quote from Theodore Roosevelt according to which comparing ourselves to others often deprives us of the feeling of satisfaction.
“When you look at the standings and measure yourself against other teams, you can easily lose the fun,” explained the head coach of the Canadiens, well aware that his team is 26th overall.
“We have to keep the emphasis on ourselves to bring enthusiasm. We want to continue to grow and learn,” he added.
Sometimes learning is done the hard way. As was the case last Thursday in Raleigh, and Saturday in Toronto. In the game for a good part of the match, the Canadian ended up collapsing in front of much stronger than him.
“We have to finish the games, we have to finish the periods, we have to finish our presence, hammered the Lavallois. We are here, we are in the right position. But we don’t finish the job. We have to be more demanding on this side. »
Encouraging signs
This reality is often that of an inexperienced team. Inconstancy and youth often go hand in hand. Not to mention that with the number of injured, several players do not occupy the right chair.
Again, there are two ways to look at the situation: focus on the last 20 minutes in which the Canadian escaped him or think that he stood up to some of the best formations in the circuit for forty minutes.
Unsurprisingly, Jordan Harris prefers the second.
“At the start of the season, not many people gave us a chance to be able to compete with teams of this stature. It’s encouraging to know that we can fight with anyone when we play well.
“Yes, it’s annoying to see that a few mistakes make us lose these games,” he continued. There are positives to take away, but there are also learning opportunities. »
Which is not bad in itself.
Another big challenge
Another great opportunity is likely to present itself to them, Tuesday evening, in Newark. Third in the NHL, the Devils have lost only two of their last ten regular-time games.
“The key will definitely be consistency. You will have to be smart and avoid mental errors, because in the NHL, the best clubs are too talented to waste scoring chances, ”argued Alex Belzile.
This is the case of Jack Hughes. With 35 goals, the former teammate of Cole Caufield is at the heart of the race for the Maurice-Richard trophy.
It is Samuel Montembeault who will face the shots of the Devils players.
