Head coach Martin St-Louis took drastic measures to address the Montreal Canadiens’ finishing issues, bringing out the practice targets during practice Wednesday morning at the CN Sports Complex.
The forwards rotated through four drills – three with a practice target and one with an empty net – while the goalies and defencemen practised on the complex’s second rink.
“We weren’t going to force our goalies to go through that kind of training,” St. Louis said, explaining the decision to go with practice targets. “It gives you something to aim at. And on the target, the holes aren’t tiny. It reminds the players that they don’t always have to try to get a perfect shot.”
The five-opening boards finished the practice with a few more puck marks. The players were able to shoot to their hearts’ content, without fear of injuring the goalie.
“It’s going back to basics,” veteran Tanner Pearson said. “Growing up, you’re going to shoot 100 times a day and that’s how you’re going to get better. Whether the puck goes in or not, it’s all about puck positioning. It helps you know where to shoot in the heat of the moment.”
Heading into Wednesday’s games, the Canadiens were tied with the Columbus Blue Jackets for 25th in the league with an average of 2.75 goals per game. They haven’t scored more than two goals in regulation in each of their last four games.
However, St-Louis is very happy with the work of his troupe during this sequence.
“We’re generating enough scoring chances to win games,” he insisted. “Defensively, we’re there, five-on-five, our special teams continue to improve. We’re competitive in every game. I think this is the best four-game stretch since I’ve been in the job.”
“I know we want to score more goals. It would help if a few players could get going. It would help them regain confidence. But we can’t do that at the cost of neglecting the defensive side.”
Josh Anderson and Rafael Harvey-Pinard are still scoreless this season after 16 and 13 games respectively. Jake Evans’ drought is now 15 games, Alex Newhook’s is 13 games, and Pearson’s is 11 games.
“Guys are going to take care of their teammates and not worry about the noise outside,” Pearson said. “Results are more important than personal stats. Yes, it would be nice to score, but it’s even nicer to win hockey games.”
The Canadiens (7-7-2) will try to snap a two-game losing streak Thursday night when they host the Vegas Golden Knights (12-3-1) at the Bell Centre. The Habs lost 3-2 in a shootout to the defending Stanley Cup champions on Oct. 30 in Las Vegas.
Three absentees from training
Harvey-Pinard and defensemen Mike Matheson and Jordan Harris did not participate in the Canadiens’ practice.
The team said the three players were instead enjoying a day of treatment.
Harris is the only one of the three who is questionable for Thursday’s game against the Vegas Golden Knights, a team spokesperson told The Canadian Press.
The American defenseman is dealing with an upper-body injury suffered Saturday against the Boston Bruins. He faced the Vancouver Canucks on Sunday, before skipping his turn against the Calgary Flames on Tuesday.
In other news, defenseman David Savard skated before the regular group Wednesday morning at the CN Sports Complex. Savard is recovering from a fractured left hand suffered Oct. 23 against the Sabres in Buffalo.
