Pierre McGuire criticized Martin St-Louis on Tuesday morning, saying the way the Canadiens head coach managed the players during Game 7 was a big issue in their victory over Buffalo.
McGuire’s comments on The Sick Podcast were very straightforward. He said, “What they did with Arber Xhekaj was a mistake. ” This was a clear jab at a coaching decision during a crucial game.
Montreal managed to win that Game 7 in overtime with a score of 3-2 while playing away. The outcome was certainly great, but McGuire believed the way the bench was handled was quite different.
His criticism didn’t stop there. McGuire mentioned that St-Louis found it hard to create offensive plays and questioned how players were being rotated during such an important time in the season.
He highlighted Oliver Kapanen as a notable case, saying he was dressed for the game but hardly played. This situation raised concerns about why he was even included in the lineup.
The situation with Xhekaj is significant. The tall defenseman had a plus-5 rating in 13 playoff games, with 1 goal and 1 assist, and he provided the tough play that the Canadiens required.
Why the critique isn’t louder due to Jakub Dobes
McGuire also pointed out that Montreal was helped late in the series by Jakub Dobes. The goalie from the Czech Republic had a . 910 save percentage over 14 playoff games and achieved 5 wins.
This is what allowed a coach to get by despite questionable decisions on the bench. The solid play from the goalie covered up the mistakes. McGuire’s argument is that good goaltending shouldn’t be necessary to make up for coaching errors.
The Canadiens wrapped up the regular season with a record of 48 wins, 24 losses, and 10 overtime losses for a total of 106 points, placing them 6th overall. This is now the expectation. Winning in the first round doesn’t mean the fans will be patient anymore in this area.
The third round begins Thursday in Carolina. The Hurricanes are known for not losing to teams that fail to manage their players well and waste roster spots on healthy players who don’t contribute.
So what are St-Louis’s next steps? Should he change the lineup? Should he decide who plays in the lower two lines? Just the question about Kapanen makes it necessary to make a choice before the game starts at PNC Arena.
A coach has the chance to improve as they go, but that won’t last forever. Pierre McGuire just announced the countdown on national TV.
If Montreal has a rough start in Game 1, people will pay even more attention to the same issues. The coach’s decisions will be the first things analyzed, not the score.
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