In the wake of the stinging defeat by the Tampa Bay Lightning to lift the curtain of the Stanley Cup Final, it’s time for analysis and correction at the Montreal Canadiens camp.
Video sessions held behind closed doors clearly prevent points that were on the agenda of Dominique Ducharme, still isolated in Montreal, and Luke Richardson from emphasizing with certainty. However, it is safe to say that the job to be done against the Brayden Point trio was at the top of the list.
John Cooper had a lot of fun against his counterpart by opposing his best unit to Nick Suzuki’s unit throughout the evening. The confrontation was in the interest of lightning to the point that the veteran coach would not hesitate to provoke her again in the second match.
“It was a bit shocking,” said Philip Danault, a helpless witness to the demolitions by Point, Nikita Kucherov and Ondrej Balat. I understand the way to the “coach” [de Cooper]. We must be prepared for all possibilities. We will have to increase our level of play. I know Suze (Nick Suzuki) can do the job.”
hands tied
Like the day before, Richardson defended himself as he was unable to pit the Quebecwa trio against the trio at Point.
“Outside there is not much you can do. You can try to change the line a little bit, but the home team always has the last word. The best recipe is to limit possession time and have them play 200 feet while avoiding an expensive inversion,” explained the assistant coach.
Watch Luke Richardson’s press briefing in the video above.
The 21-year-old center has a bright future ahead. But, on Monday evening, he realized he still had peels to eat before entering the big tournaments. He won only 29% of the matches he lost, and one of those encounters he lost resulted in a goal for Lightning, the second for Nikita Kucherov. A story that has been repeated several times since the start of the qualifiers.
“Kucherov can do anything offensively. He can play and shoot the net. He is a very competitive guy. He gives everything he has,” said Suzuki.
learning acceleration
For his part, Cole Caufield was unable to come up with a solution to the mystery of Lightning’s big guns. Apparently at 20 years old and with only 26 games of experience in the NHL, including the season and playoffs, he doesn’t necessarily have to. However, Lightning veterans had benefited greatly from the two line companions’ inexperience.
“Our young players gained experience last year and in the current series. They are growing every day. They will have the opportunity to prove it tomorrow. You have to learn fast. Especially in the final. That is why I expect everyone to be better tomorrow (tonight), especially our children,” Richardson said. .
At the level of puck management in particular, Richardson hopes his players will be better. Moreover, we can assume that this is our motto since the three speakers for the day have alluded to it on several occasions.
“They thrive through transitions. By better managing the disk, we will limit their momentum and the number of redundant attacks. [lundi], caused us to fall. “
As mentioned above, it was the Big Lightning Trio that benefited from a combined seven-point harvest, including three each for Kucherov and Point.