Pedal to the metal

BROSSARD - The Canadiens weren't about to get too high on themselves on Monday after rattling off five straight wins.

With a tilt against the Western Conference powerhouse St. Louis Blues on the horizon on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre, the focus of Claude Julien's troops was razor sharp at practice - as it should be.
While the Blues are in the midst of a three-game winless streak, they boast world-class talent both up front and on the back end.
The likes of Jaden Schwartz (32 points), Brayden Schenn (30 points) and Vladimir Tarasenko (29 points) have proven especially tough to stop so far this season, helping pace Mike Yeo's group to a 17-8-2 record, good for second spot in the Central Division.
"You definitely can't feel too good about yourselves because the situation we're in, we can't afford to relax and take our foot off the gas pedal. We still need to play hungry hockey," said Brendan Gallagher, following Monday's on-ice session at the Bell Sports Complex. "We had one good week here where we were able to make up some ground, but there's still a lot of hockey left to be played and we need to have that same mentality that every game is equally important and there are two points on the line."

Gallagher is adamant that every single player inside the Canadiens' locker room has to share that mindset in order for things to continue trending in the right direction going forward.
"I think we're pretty comfortable with our game right now, but it's important that it continues," insisted Gallagher. "We have to stay on each other and make sure there's an accountability level that we're still working hard at practices so our game doesn't slip and get back to the way it was at the start of the year."
Back then, the Canadiens weren't putting the puck in the net the way they are now, of course. With 16 goals in their last two outings alone, Julien's charges are proving just what they're capable of when things are clicking offensively.
"This group is capable of scoring goals. It's just a matter of us doing all the other things that go into that and being a successful team. There's so much that goes into scoring. It's about all five guys on the ice," explained Gallagher, who has a team-leading 13 goals and 19 points in 28 games. "Right now, we're doing a good job of shift after shift, whoever is on the ice is putting the responsibility on themselves to keep the momentum going for our team."
It remains to be seen if Jonathan Drouin will be available for Tuesday night's contest. After missing the last two games with a lower-body injury, Drouin didn't partake in Monday's practice. Instead, he skated on his own. Julien indicated that the 22-year-old forward is "progressing" in his recovery and "getting close" to returning to the lineup.
During his post-practice press conference, Julien also confirmed that Carey Price will get the start in goal against the Blues. It will be Price's sixth consecutive start since returning from injury on November 25.