Suzuki calls for urgency after Habs’ skid hits five
Published
The Montreal Canadiens dropped their fifth straight game Sunday evening with a 3-2 loss to the Ducks in Anaheim.
After surging in the standings to climb into a wild-card spot thanks to wins in 13 of 17 games from Dec. 17 to Jan. 21, the Habs now find themselves six points out of the East’s final Stanley Cup Playoff spot with five teams in their way.
Captain Nick Suzuki called for urgency from his team after Sunday’s loss.
"We have to come out next game and have our best game of the season," Suzuki said via NHL.com. "We can't be losing these games and falling back in the standings, so we really have to find a way to win the next two on this road trip."
Montreal gets an easier opponent Tuesday night in San Jose with the NHL-worst Sharks, but the Habs close out their three-game West Coast swing the day after against the Los Angeles Kings, who occupy the third playoff spot in the Pacific with 60 points.
The Canadiens looked to have turned things around Sunday when they jumped out to a 2-0 first-period advantage – just their second lead in the past five games – on a shorthanded goal from Joel Armia and a power-play score from Christian Dvorak. But the Habs allowed three straight goals after that, surrendering the eventual winner to Alex Killorn mid-way through the third period.
"We definitely played really well in the first period, took it to them, and then there was just that little stretch in the second period that they tied the game up," defenceman Mike Matheson said.
"I think we lost a bit of confidence, maybe lost a little bit of energy, but we need to find a way to be able to reset and come back in the third and close the game out."
On the flip side, the Ducks were happy with the way they battled back.
“After the first period, we did a better job getting up ice, creating more," Killorn said. "We didn't spend as much time in the [defensive] zone. I think we ended plays quicker after the first period in the [defensive] zone.”
Anaheim moved to 22-24-6 with the victory and still sit nine points out of the final wild-card spot in the Western Conference, while the Habs dropped to 24-23-5.