After an emotional evening on Saturday, the Canadian should really be back down to earth.
The Habs will wrap up a doubleheader against Cam Neely’s former teams on Sunday. The day after his stunning victory over the Bruins, he must now do battle with the Vancouver Canucks.
“Honestly, it’s hard to sleep after a game like yesterday,” outfielder Jonathan Kovacevic admitted during a news conference at the Bell Center on Sunday morning. I saw all the energy in the arena yesterday. It’s good to know that we are still playing tonight and that the game is as important as yesterday. We arrived, did our activation, our video session, and then focused on Vancouver. We don’t have much time to savor victory. »
The nuance is important. Two weeks ago, the Habs had another great performance in Vegas, losing in a shootout this time. Martin St. Louis then declared his side had “raised their level”, but his men subsequently suffered three almost glorious defeats.
On Saturday evening, St. Louis was noticeably less talkative, just like Sunday morning.
Kovacevic added: “We are looking for consistency.” Look at the Bruins, they’ve had this consistency for years, because they have true professionals who know how it works. This is what we are trying to do. We don’t congratulate ourselves very often. Above all, we have the opportunity to finish a very good week. »
Montreal has actually taken four points out of a possible six so far this week.
We still don’t know if Jordan Harris will be there to help his friends in their quest for a third straight victory. The Boston defender left Saturday’s game due to an upper body injury. On Sunday, he returned to the ice and crossed legs with Joel Armia and Jesse Ilonen, who share Finnish passports, plus position and some physiological characteristics such as arms and legs.
After training, Armia was transferred to Rocket, to make way for Gustav Lindström who was recalled. If Harris is unable to play, Lindstrom will be able to replace him on the team on Sunday.
Jake Allen will defend the net for Montreal. He will try to redeem himself after his short game Tuesday against the Lightning, during which he allowed four goals on nine shots in 13 minutes.
Photo by Dominique Gravelle, Press Archive
Jake Allen
New Canucks
The meeting will mark Tanner Pearson reuniting with his former Canucks teammates. Kovacevic also put pressure on Pearson by saying he expected to see a big sum on the board before the match.
“He had a hard time warming up, he should watch his own money!” “Person joked.
Photography by Paul Sancia, The Associated Press
Tanner Pearson
The winger spent four seasons and a dusting in Vancouver, a league that ended up fishtailing due to criticism of his hand injury management by the Canucks’ medical staff. Acquired at the end of the season last winter, Anthony Beauvillier had known Pearson briefly.
“I’ve only been with him for a few months. We were talking about a storm, but he’s been through something very big for him and his family. I wish him success and everyone in the locker room is happy for him.”
Pearson will have a hard time recognizing his former team, which has been snapped out of its slump in recent years by new coach Rick Touchette. Vancouver had the best scorer in the NHL (Elias Pettersson, 25 points) and the leader among defensemen (Koen Hughes, 22 points). This is a surprising result for a coach who has never been known for his team’s offensive success.
“Personally, I don’t think he’s a defensive coach,” Beauvillier said. We have structure in our zone and in the neutral zone, but in the offensive zone, it allows us to move forward with our imagination. He wants us to play and score goals. He’s been good to us and everyone appreciates him. »
Pearson won’t be the only one who will reconnect with his former teammates. The person who was traded for, goaltender Casey DeSmith, is set to face the Habs.
DeSmith, who the Habs acquired from the Penguins in the trade that sent Mike Hoffman and Rem Pitlyk to Pittsburgh, is off to an interesting start with a 3-0-1 record and .919 save.
His name will forever be associated with those of Zach Kassian, Steve Mason and Toni Salmilainen, all players who were acquired by CH, but never wore the blue, white and red uniform. This kind of information would impress a visit around the Sunday dinner table.
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