Martin St. Louis is never one to sugarcoat his thoughts after any game in the NHL. Following the Montreal Canadiens’ triumph over the Buffalo Sabres, the head coach in Quebec’s Metropolis delivered a sincere statement to Patrik Laine and the rest of the locker room.
Montreal has been one of the hottest teams to start the 2025-26 NHL season. After losing in opening night to the Toronto Maple Leafs, the Habs got back on track with five wins in the next six games.
After a misstep against the New York Rangers at home, Montreal redeemed itself defeating the Buffalo Sabres by a score of 4-2. However, for Coach St. Louis, the means are as important as the end result. On that note, he delivered a blunt reminder for the Canadiens, who might be on track to have Laine back on the ice.
“Our first 25 minutes, we were really, really good,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis commented, via NHL.com. “And then we lost a little bit of momentum after they scored. We get stubborn in the neutral zone when we don’t have a numerical advantage. We get away from what makes us successful, what made us successful in the first period in playing a deep game, whether we possess across the line or we chip pucks in.”
Martin St. Louis at Bell Centre on October 9, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Shake-up
As the four-game homestand came to an end with Montreal boasting a 3-1-0 record to show for, the Habs will now pack their bags for their first long road trip of the NHL campaign. Up next, the Canadiens will head west to take on the Calgary Flames, Edmonton Oilers, Vancouver Canucks, and Seattle Kraken.
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On that note, St. Louis and his staff in Montreal are making sure the Habs are all set for takeoff, and that means making adjustments to the lineup. Joshua Roy and Marc Del Gaizo have been recalled from AHL affiliate Laval Rocket, while Owen Beck was sent down to the minors.
Hinting
With Laine missing the action in the Canadiens’ last two outings, the latest moves might suggest the Finnish winger is back healthy. At least, that’s how fans and sources around the organization like to see the ongoing situation.
“The fact that the Canadiens have only 12 healthy forwards by swapping Beck and Roy, it should mean that Kirby Dach and/or Patrik Laine are ready to return,” as reported by habseyesontheprize.com.