Within the Habs Room: Coach likes the ‘pack mentality’ after loss to Wild

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Canadiens didn’t beat the Minnesota Wild Tuesday evening — shedding 4-1 — however they confirmed they received’t be pushed round this season.

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With 1:20 left within the sport and the ultimate rating already determined, the Wild’s Marco Rossi shoved Juraj Slafkovsky from behind and the No. 1 general decide at this 12 months’s NHL draft fell awkwardly into the boards simply because the door to the Canadiens bench was opening.

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It wasn’t a really exhausting or soiled shove, however it was harmful and Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis famous it was on the finish of Slafkovsky’s shift and his legs have been drained. Rossi wasn’t penalized for the shove, however a whole lot of penalties have been referred to as within the skirmish that adopted.

The Canadiens’ Chris Wideman was given a cross-checking minor and a 10-minute misconduct, whereas teammate Jake Evans obtained a roughing minor and a preventing main. The Wild’s Mason Shaw was given a preventing main, ending up on prime of Evans, and teammate Jared Spurgeon was given a roughing minor.

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That wasn’t the tip of it.

With 32 seconds left on the clock, the Canadiens’ Arber Xhekaj tried unsuccessfully to get at Rossi and was given a 10-minute misconduct, as was teammate Sean Monahan. The Wild’s Connor Dewar additionally obtained a misconduct penalty.

“It wasn’t an enormous deal, however it nonetheless received addressed as a bunch,” St. Louis mentioned after the sport. “Pack mentality — and I prefer it. When you will have that your staff’s collectively, it’s coming collectively, they usually have one another’s again. With out making an enormous deal out of any specific incident, we simply have one another’s again and it’s good to see.”

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There have been a whole lot of issues St. Louis mentioned he preferred about this sport, regardless of the very fact the Canadiens’ file fell to 5-5-0 with their solely aim coming from Nick Suzuki on the ability play at 13:30 of the third interval to chop the Wild’s result in 3-1 earlier than they scored an empty-netter at 16:52 to clinch the victory.

“It might have been good to get one again earlier than the tip of the second (interval), however I preferred our third,” St. Louis mentioned. “We received one on the PP. We pulled our goalie with 3:30 left with a TV timeout — and I nonetheless had my timeout. I nonetheless don’t really feel like we’re out of it. I really feel like we’re coming. I feel the entire group feels that method. I feel we belief within the model that we’re attempting to play. We all know we now have to cheat, we’re going to generate possibilities, and it confirmed up to now that we’re capable of crawl again in video games and tonight we simply fell quick. That’s one factor I don’t like about tonight’s sport is the outcome as a result of there’s a whole lot of good issues on this sport.”

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Considered one of them was the Canadiens getting their third power-play aim in two video games after scoring just one within the first eight. Cole Caufield didn’t rating, however he had eight pictures.

When Suzuki was requested in regards to the hit on Slafkovsky, he mentioned: “It’s sort of a harmful spot to be just a little bit aways from the boards. I don’t know if the door was open on the identical time. I do know Slaf’s feeling OK. It was good of the fellows to get in there and assist him out.”

Goalie Jake Allen additionally preferred what he noticed from his teammates.

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“It’s all in regards to the mindset and the outcomes are going to return,” he mentioned. “It’s simply spectacular that we’re staying within the combat. We’re not packing it in and that’s everybody in our lineup on the ice proper now. That’s a factor that’s generally exhausting to return by. Speaking about constructing a tradition right here and constructing an identification, it’s little issues which might be necessary.

“I feel we needs to be pleased with the place we’re at, to be sincere,” Allen added in regards to the staff’s 5-5-0 file. “There’s nonetheless clearly a whole lot of progress to go, however we’re 10 video games in, we’ve performed a whole lot of good hockey. We’ve had a few moments the place it’s not been fairly, however we additionally rebounded as effectively. We’ve flipped the swap pretty simple and final 12 months I discovered that was very, very exhausting for us to do, extra so mentally than tactically and bodily. In order that’s kudos to all the fellows in right here, particularly with a extremely younger group and a whole lot of inexperienced guys to have the ability to do this on this league is spectacular. So kudos to them.”

St. Louis has spoken usually this season about wanting what he calls “every-day guys” on his staff and he believes he has them.

“If it will get exhausting just a little bit and also you stop, you’re assured one factor: you’re not going to get the outcome you need collectively and individually,” the coach mentioned. “We don’t have that and it’s enjoyable to work with these guys.”

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