Stu Cowan: Canadiens get back on track with back-to-back victories

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When Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis met with the media after follow Friday in Brossard he repeated a number of instances: “It’s solely seven video games.”

That was true — however it regarded just like the wheels have been already falling off the Canadiens with a 2-4-1 report, harm issues and 4 straight losses (0-3-1). They have been additionally embarrassed 7-2 by the New York Rangers on Thursday evening on the Bell Centre after a pre-game ceremony to honour the Seventies Canadiens dynasty staff that received 4 straight Stanley Cups from 1976-79.

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The weekend didn’t look promising with back-to-back video games towards the St. Louis Blues on Saturday evening on the Bell Centre and towards the Flyers on Sunday evening in Philadelphia.

The Canadiens performed a strong sport Saturday evening, beating the Blues 5-2.

Final season, the Canadiens performed 12 units of back-to-back video games and had a 7-15-2 report in these 24 video games. They went 1-11-0 within the second sport of these back-to-backs, so the chances of them beating the Flyers weren’t good.

However the Canadiens confirmed why betting on sports activities is a harmful sport — it doesn’t matter what all these TV adverts for playing websites let you know. Additionally they confirmed their coach was proper — “it’s solely seven video games” — by following up the win over the Blues with a 4-3 victory over the Flyers.

The Canadiens have now performed two units of 15 back-to-back video games on their schedule this season and have a 3-1-0 report in these 4 video games. They are going to be again in motion Tuesday when the Seattle Kraken go to the Bell Centre (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS).

The Canadiens have been with out injured defencemen Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron, and forwards Juraj Slafkovsky and Patrik Laine — who has but to play this season due to knee harm — towards the Flyers. However ahead Josh Anderson, who left Saturday’s sport early within the third interval after blocking a shot, was within the lineup after the Canadiens had known as up Lucas Condotta from the AHL’s Laval Rocket in case he can be wanted.

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There have been a whole lot of positives in Philadelphia, together with goalie Cayden Primeau, who got here into the sport with a 0-1-1 report, a 4.21 goals-against common and a .880 save share. Primeau made 23 saves for the win because the Flyers outshot the Canadiens 26-24.

Nick Suzuki, Brendan Gallagher, Cole Caufield and Jake Evans scored for the Canadiens, whereas Travis Sanheim had two targets for the Flyers and Travis Konecny added a single.

Suzuki prolonged his level streak to seven video games, throughout which he has 3-8-11 totals, and Caufield’s aim was his eighth in 9 video games. Caufield didn’t get his eighth aim till the thirtieth sport final season, when he completed with 28.

After Saturday’s sport, Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis was requested what the important thing to success is within the second half of back-to-back video games.

“I feel it’s having an excellent begin and never capturing ourselves within the foot early,” he stated. “It’s robust to play catchup off the back-to-backs. To me it’s actually being affected person early and not likely beating your self early. Simply grasp in there. Keep in there and perhaps the particular groups get you over the hump.”

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That’s precisely what occurred.

Suzuki opened the scoring at 10:42 of the primary interval earlier than Sanheim tied it for the Flyers at 17:24 on solely their fifth shot. The Canadiens then acquired three unanswered targets within the second interval, together with a power-play aim from Caufield.

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The Canadiens regarded like that they had the sport underneath management till Sanheim scored his second aim at 17:48 of the third interval after which Konecky scored 29 seconds later. However the Canadiens have been capable of grasp on for the win.

“In case you didn’t see the sport and also you regarded on the scoresheet, it was an in depth sport,” St. Louis advised reporters in Philadelphia after the sport. “However I felt we managed the large a part of that sport.”

The Canadiens’ power-play went 1-for-2 and their penalty-killers have been 3-for-3.

Evans has been one of many Canadiens’ finest gamers for the reason that begin of coaching camp and is within the remaining season of his contract with a US$1.7-million salary-cap hit. He has now scored in back-to-back video games and is a giant motive why the Canadiens’ penalty-killing has a 90-per-cent success price.

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When requested after Saturday’s sport if the Canadiens have been feeling added stress heading into the weekend — even when it was “solely seven video games” — Evans stated: “Perhaps. I don’t assume we talked about it, however for me I knew this was an enormous sport for us to rewrite how these first seven video games went. I feel that was a fairly good template of how we acquired to play the remainder of the best way.

“Marty at all times talks about setting his new requirements and I feel we set one other one tonight — particularly defensively,” Evans added Saturday evening. “A part of rising up as a staff is following that up the subsequent day, particularly if journey’s not in your favour or your not feeling nice. It’s about following it up and doing what you may to assist the staff.”

The Canadiens adopted it up very properly Sunday evening.

scowan@postmedia.com

x.com/StuCowan1

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