"We have to stop helping the other team," Canadiens' St. Louis says

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The solar got here up Wednesday morning, as common, regardless of the Canadiens’ most embarrassing and lopsided defeat the night time earlier than.

And we’re solely 10 video games into the 82-game common season.

However the sky feels prefer it’s falling in on the Canadiens following Tuesday’s 8-2 defeat on the Bell Centre to the Seattle Kraken — maybe as a result of it got here solely per week after Montreal was dismantled 7-2 by the New York Rangers at residence as nicely.

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And now the Canadiens go on the highway for 2 video games, beginning Thursday night time at Washington (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio 690, 98.5 FM) adopted by a visit to Pittsburgh on Saturday, the Penguins already having defeated Montreal 6-3 on Oct. 14.

Whereas the 2 latest blowouts had a distinctly completely different really feel — the Rangers are among the many NHL’s elite groups whereas the Kraken are removed from that — Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis could be excused for questioning why his membership can’t appear to take the following step in its ascension after weekend victories towards St. Louis and Philadelphia.

“We’ve to cease serving to the opposite crew,” St. Louis mentioned following Wednesday’s observe on the CN Sports activities Advanced in Brossard. “We will’t take dangerous penalties. We’ve to dam pictures. We’ve to do the job.”

The Canadiens have the NHL’s youngest crew, with a mean age of 25.8 years. That in itself will strive St. Louis’s endurance on some nights — and maybe that endurance is starting to put on skinny?

The coach combined up his strains on Wednesday, elevating Emil Heineman to the highest unit, with main scorer Cole Caufield and captain Nick Suzuki. Heineman probably replaces Kirby Dach, who returns to centre between Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen.

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Alex Newhook was teamed with Christian Dvorak and Joel Armia, whereas the Jake Evans-Josh Anderson-Brendan Gallagher triumvirate stays unchanged.

Defensively, the Canadiens introduced injured defencemen Kaiden Guhle and Justin Barron will accompany the crew on its journey. On the identical time, blueliner Logan Mailloux, who has performed 5 video games however was a minus-2 towards Seattle — and minus-4 total — has been loaned to their AHL affiliate in Laval.

Whereas Dach was receiving remedy and wasn’t made accessible to the media, his first-period roughing penalty led to the Kraken’s third purpose. He additionally missed an task later, St. Louis mentioned. Dach was minus-3 on the night time and is a league-worst minus-12.

“Skilled and mature groups don’t beat themselves,” St. Louis mentioned. “They watch for the opposite groups to assist them. We’re beating ourselves. In some video games we get away with it. Since I’ve been right here we assist the opposite crew an excessive amount of. New York dominated us and uncovered us. They made us concentrate on our defensive zone. You take a look at the (Seattle) rating and suppose they dominated you. I didn’t really feel that. I simply felt we helped them out with a few of our early actions. When that occurs you’re chasing the sport and taking extra dangers. You’re not your true model.

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“It simply sucks that we’re in that state of affairs so early in video games.”

Whereas the Canadiens’ defensive protection has been porous at occasions, first-string goaltender Samuel Montembeault additionally has been wildly inconsistent currently. He was changed after permitting 4 Rangers objectives on 10 pictures. The identical destiny befell him after permitting 5 Seattle objectives on 10 pictures.

St. Louis didn’t announce his starter towards Washington.

The sport towards the Kraken was notably demoralizing as a result of the Canadiens trailed 4-1 following the primary interval but loved an 11-8 benefit in scoring alternatives, defenceman Mike Matheson famous.

“Hopefully we get to the tip of the 82 video games and people (towards New York and Seattle) have been the 2 and so they occurred to be shut collectively,” he mentioned. “It’s a really arduous league and we’re a really younger crew. It’s not going to be an ideal line the place we at some point resolve we’re able to take the following step and the entire league’s going to allow us to.

“We’re youthful this 12 months than we have been final 12 months. There’s undoubtedly going to be rising pains. On the identical time we have to mature as a crew.”

Gallagher mentioned he hopes his less-experienced teammates study from their latest experiences, whereas admitting the braying heaped upon them from the pissed off followers hasn’t been misplaced or diminished.

“It’s not a enjoyable feeling leaving the rink,” he mentioned. “However now we get on the highway and have an opportunity to salvage the week. It’s early and we’re nonetheless maturing as a bunch. You’d wish to not should undergo the large ups and downs. Consistency is one thing that the perfect groups on this league all the time have. We’re striving to get there.”

If the Canadiens can upset Washington they’d emerge from the season’s first month with a .500 report — a optimistic contemplating the roller-coaster journey the crew has taken its followers on.

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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