The Montreal Canadiens are enjoying hockey again, and that happiness has started to translate into wins.
On a roll under interim coach Martin St. Louis, the Canadiens will try for a fourth straight victory when they host the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night.
Montreal won its third straight on Monday, 5-2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, after an 0-3 start under St. Louis when he replaced Dominique Ducharme on Feb. 9. The team has outscored opponents 11-6 during its current run.
“I think you need some swagger, and I think we’re building a lot of swagger right now,” St. Louis said. “And swagger is not like cockiness or arrogance, it’s just like believing in yourself and feeling good about yourself, and I think we have that. Swagger is so important in this league to be successful.”
The coaching change has breathed new life into rookie Cole Caufield. The 21-year-old recorded a goal and two assists against Toronto and has eight points (five goals, three assists) in six games under St. Louis. He had one goal and seven assists in his first 30 games.
“(St. Louis) trusts me; he’s putting me out there in situations to succeed,” Caufield said. “I’m playing with two great players, too (Josh Anderson and Nick Suzuki), so that helps. But he trusts my game, and I think that’s the biggest part for me. I’ve just got to keep playing the right way, and it’ll keep coming like that.”
It’s also been a boon for defenseman Jeff Petry, who has five points (two goals, three assists) in a four-game point streak. Petry had six points in his previous 38 contests.
The Sabres are looking to snap a three-game slide after falling to the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday.
Stringing wins together has been a struggle for the Sabres this season. They’ve won three in a row only once, going 3-0-0 to open the campaign.
Buffalo has won all three meetings against the Canadiens so far, outscoring them 14-5, but it won’t be easy on Wednesday.
“They play with lots of adrenaline; there were people in the building finally,” Sabres coach Don Granato said. “Last night you could see the jump in their players with the energy in the building. So a different challenge for us this week. A different team for us this week than it was last week based on that again.
“This is not a pushover team by any means. And they’re starting to find a little bit a rhythm, obviously. So this is a big challenge for us.”
Defenseman Rasmus Dahlin could be back in the lineup after missing the game Sunday with a lower-body injury. He had a brief rehab skate ahead of practice Tuesday before joining his teammates for the full session and could return against Montreal.
“It was nice to get back at it,” Dahlin said. “I wasn’t sure that I was going to feel a hundred (percent), but I did, so it’s great. I’m happy to be back.”
Sabres winger Victor Olofsson will miss the game against the Canadiens due to a non-COVID illness.
–Field Level Media
