Advanced statistics don’t necessarily tell the whole story, but with the Montreal Canadiens trailing the pack in expected goals allowed and chances from the danger zone, head coach Martin St-Louis admitted his team has been spending a little too much time in its own zone early in the campaign.
The Habs have allowed 16 goals at five-on-five in six games. They have also allowed at least four goals in four of their first six games of the campaign.
“I think the team has to stifle the opponent’s plays more quickly,” St. Louis said Monday. “Our guys are in good position, but sometimes it’s like they’re just being in good position instead of trying to stifle the play.”
After two poor performances, the Canadiens redeemed themselves with a better effort Saturday in a 4-3 shootout loss to the New York Islanders.
Players noted that they committed fewer turnovers in this game and made better decisions at the opposing blue line.
“We forced plays less,” Jake Evans said. “We were patient and let the opponent make mistakes instead of helping them.
That contrasted with the previous two outings – 6-3 and 4-1 losses to the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings, respectively.
“We need to spend more time in the offensive zone, and that starts with our puck management in the offensive zone, at the blue line when we’re entering the zone,” St-Louis said. “We’ve had a lot of games where we’ve helped the other team get their offense going.
“There are many things to improve in our defensive zone, but our problems start far from there,” he added.
Nick Suzuki’s line has been producing well offensively so far this season, with Cole Caufield having six goals and an assist and Juraj Slafkovsky having one goal and five assists. The captain has five assists but has yet to score.
However, the unit has also often been stuck in its territory against the best enemy elements.
“I think we’re defending well, but we could be stifling plays quicker,” Suzuki said. “We’re wasting a lot of energy defending in our own territory, and it’s impacting our overall game.”
St-Louis also pointed out that Suzuki was at his best when there was a little more rhythm in his game.
Two absentees from training
Defenseman Mike Matheson and forward Juraj Slafkovsky did not participate in the Canadiens’ practice on Monday, instead taking advantage of a day of treatment.
The Habs were practicing at the Bell Centre, after taking their traditional team photo for the first time this season.
Matheson and Slafkovsky played in Saturday’s game against the Islanders in New York.
Both were uncertain cases for this match.
Matheson did not finish Thursday’s game against the Kings. He played only the first period, and also had a day of treatment Friday.
Slafkovsky, meanwhile, appeared to injure his left shoulder during Friday’s practice at the CN Sports Complex.
If Slafkovsky misses Tuesday’s game against the New York Rangers at the Bell Centre, it’s possible Kirby Dach could be moved to the right of Suzuki and Caufield, as seen in practice Monday.
Dach has just one assist this season as he continues to find his feet after being limited to just over one game last season with a knee injury.
“He’s missed a lot of time, but he knows how good he is and how good he can be,” St. Louis said. “He needs to give himself time and be proactive to find himself. I think he’s doing well.”
Furthermore, St-Louis confirmed that Samuel Montembeault will defend the Canadiens’ net against the Rangers.
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