MONTREAL, QC - FEBRUARY 10: Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Martin St-Louis addresses the media on February 10, 2022, at Bell Sports Complex in Brossard, QC (Photo by David Kirouac/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Fort Lauderdale — In their two victories this season, the Panthers have outscored the Canadiens 9-2, but Florida is aware of its opponent.
The youthful Canadiens have developed into a more disciplined squad, making them more difficult to play against.
The Panthers are not taking Montreal lightly since they have an opportunity to become the second team in the NHL to reach 40 wins on Thursday night.
The Panthers have defeated the Canadiens in 10 of the previous 11 meetings, including the last six.
With ten victories over Montreal, Florida is leading the Canadiens 56–23 in points scored.
Tonight, the Panthers are strong favourites to win (-325 on the money line).
Coach Paul Maurice of Florida stated, “I don’t think the scores in the first two have anything to do with how the game was played. We’ve had some wild games against this team.” “Compared to last year, these were both extremely close games.
“We want to make sure we’re playing smart and making really good decisions with the puck because they’ve tightened up their game quite a bit.”
Nick Suzuki, the captain of Montreal, has undoubtedly led the team’s transition to a more aggressive and disciplined defensive style of play.
As Suzuki has grown into a top-tier Selke candidate for the Canadiens, he ranks close to the top in most defensive stats and regularly produces huge plays and clever plays on his own end.
Maurice remarked, “I think he has a lot of [Sasha] Barkov in him.”
There is pressure to deliver, especially if you are a strong offensive player in a developing squad, and with that strain, there are incentives to prioritise the offensive over the defensive aspect of the game, particularly when you are in a Canadian market. He hasn’t done that, in my opinion.
Nick Suzuki, the captain of Montreal, has undoubtedly led the team’s transition to a more forceful and organised defensive approach.
