Shaw-Petry-Reilly-practice

BROSSARD - After the previous night's disappointing loss on Long Island, the Canadiens were back at work at the Bell Sports Complex in Brossard on Friday and had a chance to reflect on Andrew Shaw's postgame comments.

The two-time Stanley Cup winner told reporters covering the game at Nassau Coliseum that he felt his team's recent slip-ups were happening because not everyone on the team was showing up to give it their all every single night on the calendar.
A day later, did he feel like the message was received?
"I think so, but I have to hear it myself, too. I haven't been perfect either. We just have to hold each other accountable, go out there and work, and have that last push we need," outlined Shaw, who has three points in his last four games. "This is our playoffs right now, to push ourselves into a position here. Once you make the playoffs, anything can happen from there."

Andrew Shaw on accountability in the locker room

Head coach Claude Julien noted on Thursday that accountability is a must in any locker room in the League, and he was encouraged that his troops are looking for solutions as the end of the season approaches.
"It's a situation where he said what he needed to. I'm sure the players talk and I'm sure it was addressed," he posited. "If he said it to you, he said it in the locker room too. For me, it's a good sign: it means we're trying to find the way to get back to winning."
And though it can sometimes sting to be called out by a teammate, Julien pointed out that it comes with the territory.
"The teams that have success are able to separate the personal and the professional. So when your best friend on the team isn't pulling his load, you let him know. It's not personal; it's on the professional side of things," he shared. "When guys understand that and they're able to separate those kinds of things, it usually works out in your favor."

Claude Julien's press conference

That's exactly what Shaw was getting at.
"We all want to win. We all want what's best for this team," he explained. "I know if I'm not playing well, I want someone to tell me I need to pick it up and I'm going to do the same to the guy next to me."
If you ask Phillip Danault, there are no hard feelings.
"We keep what's said in team meetings to ourselves, but we're for sure not happy with our performance," admitted the Victoriaville native. "We want to make the playoffs. It's all about willpower, so our fate is in our own hands."

Phillip Danault on wanting to be better

The Habs' next test comes on Saturday night against a surging Chicago Blackhawks team that is also attempting to scrap its way into a playoff spot, and Shaw agrees that his former team should not be taken lightly.
"They are not a pushover," he said of the Hawks, who have won four straight games. "The second half of the season, they've been a good hockey team. We have to expect them to be hungry tomorrow. They had a tough third period against Toronto, and they're going to want to bounce back from that. We have to be prepared from the puck drop."
Shaw may not have all the answers for his team's recent travails, but he certainly knows what he expects from his squad over the weekend.
"I can't tell you why our sense of urgency] is not there," he concluded. "But I can tell you it's going to be there."
Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at the Bell Centre. Saturday night's game marks the first edition of Soirée québécoise.
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