Dominique Ducharme indicated what sets the CH apart from other teams
Since the beginning of the preseason, the Canadiens have not shown much confidence in their game. In 6 games, Dominique Ducharme's team has only won two.
Nothing is alarming yet, but we all know that a good start to the season can be a key point if a team makes the playoffs or not.
"Will we be perfect every night? No. But we can play a lot better than we've shown so far. We can be much more committed to our game," the coach said.
This is the first time Ducharme has led a training camp in the NHL. According to Ducharme, the system of play is already well understood by the players. It's just a matter of executing it well.
"We know what we have to do. We know how to play, we know our structure. The guys are comfortable with it; in the offensive zone, in the neutral zone, in the defensive zone, with and without the puck. Our guys understand what they have to do, but it's time to get the ball rolling."
More often than not, the Tricolore has been dominated in the last few pre-season games. That was the case against the Maple Leafs when Toronto fired twice as many shots at the CH net (44-22).
"This is a tough league. There are a lot of good teams, a lot of parity. What can make us stand out is our way of thinking. Think differently," explained Ducharme.
In the most recent playoff run of the Bleu-blanc-rouge, it was the defensive aspect of their game that got them this far. Ducharme expects his team to do well in that area of the game this year as well.
"I don't know a player who was born being good defensively. It's a matter of will, commitment, structure, attention to detail. As a group, that's what we need to get back to. That's the approach we had success with last season, when we played like that night in and night out."
Despite all the injuries to the CH, the lineup that will be thrown into the fray for Game 1 will need to take their game up a notch.
With the loss of Price, the CH will have no choice but to tighten up their defensive zone. We'll get a good look at that on Wednesday when the Tricolore take on the mighty Leafs in the first game of the season.
