BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Marc Bergevin giving Claude Julien a stable vote of confidence Tuesday on the NHL normal supervisor conferences in Boca Raton, Fla. — confirming his head coach shall be again subsequent season — was large information with Canadiens followers again in Montreal, however it wasn’t a shock to the gamers.
“I don’t actually have a response as a result of the thought doesn’t actually undergo your head,” Brendan Gallagher mentioned after the Canadiens beat the New York Islanders 6-2 Tuesday night time on the Barclays Centre. “For us, it’s about going with what we now have and that was clearly anticipated. It’s not likely information. It’s a kind of issues the place we’re all simply constructing and he’s part of it … he’s an enormous a part of it. I don’t even know what to say apart from I feel it’s information for everybody else, however for us it’s enterprise as ordinary and it’s was all the time anticipated the entire time.”
Added Paul Byron: “I don’t suppose anybody could be stunned concerning the information, to be trustworthy. I don’t suppose anybody was interested by that. We’re all pushing arduous, we’re all making an attempt to do what we will to complete the 12 months the suitable means. He’s an ideal coach, all of us like him within the room. It’s good for the group to present him that vote of confidence. I feel issues might have been just a little completely different for us this 12 months had a few issues gone our means and that’s the main focus proper now. Simply hold enjoying arduous, hold enjoying the suitable means every sport and if we will get within the mentality of doing that each single night time it’s going to make subsequent 12 months lots higher for our crew.”
The Canadiens improved their report to 31-28-9 and they’re Four-1-1 of their final six video games. One of many spectacular issues concerning the Canadiens this season is that they haven’t given up on themselves or their coach and so they proceed to battle despite the fact that their playoff hopes are all however gone.
Canadiens’ Max Domi is checked to the ice by Islanders defenceman Scott Mayfield throughout first-period motion in Brooklyn Tuesday night time.
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“It’s fairly spectacular whenever you take a look at the place this crew is correct now,” Julien mentioned when requested about his gamers not quitting. “They arrive out and play arduous on a regular basis. It’s arduous to discover a sport the place you felt your crew was lazy or simply completely received dominated by the opposite crew. So give them credit score for his or her angle, their strategy and the whole lot else. We’re not an ideal crew, however I feel we received the suitable issues getting into the suitable route.”
The stable vote of confidence from Bergevin on Tuesday meant lots to Julien after the GM had already given him one following final Monday’s NHL commerce deadline.
“I can’t converse for the gamers, however for me it’s nice,” Julien mentioned. “It’s good to know he nonetheless has a number of confidence within the teaching workers and for us we’re working arduous. We’re making an attempt to make this crew higher. There’s a number of good belongings you see from this crew and the consistency of our sport has been our greatest problem this 12 months and the accidents have sort of thrown us off just a little bit. However you’ve set to work by way of these sort of issues and that’s what we’re making an attempt to do.”
The Canadiens have been hit with one more damage early within the first interval in opposition to the Islanders when Tomas Tatar suffered an upper-body damage on his fourth shift of the sport and didn’t return.
“Simply precaution,” Julien mentioned about Tatar. “We took him out for precautionary causes. We’ll know extra come tomorrow. I don’t know and I don’t suppose it appears to be a long-term factor.”
The Canadiens have been flying to Tampa after the sport and can play the Lightning Thursday (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN 690 Radio, 98.5 FM).
Byron scored one of many Canadiens’ six objectives and now has Three-Three-6 totals in seven video games since getting back from November knee surgical procedure.
Does Byron marvel how issues may need been completely different if he hadn’t been injured?
“After all,” he mentioned. “I’ve considered it for 3 months, to be trustworthy. I knew my begin (to the season) wasn’t the best, however the crew was successful, the crew was scoring objectives, they didn’t want me. And when it turned like that, I simply felt like I might have simply given just a little bit extra to the crew, assist guys out. It’s an extended season and it’s unlucky it occurred. However when everybody’s wholesome we now have an ideal hockey crew. We’ve 4 strains of actually good gamers, gamers who can play up and down the lineup, play with anyone. We’ve proven in spurts, we’ve proven in opposition to good groups how aggressive we might be when everybody’s enjoying effectively and enjoying the best way we should always.”
They definitely confirmed it in opposition to the Islanders.
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