Gallagher: 'The desperation level needs to be high'

WINNIPEG - "I can guarantee that tomorrow everyone's going to be flying out there and ready to go because we have to."

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Those were right-winger Josh Anderson's words following Sunday afternoon's practice at Bell MTS Place.
He's absolutely right in saying that the Canadiens must be "ready to go" against the Jets because that certainly wasn't the case in their most recent outing in Calgary.
Not only were the Habs down 2-0 after the first period on Saturday night, but they were also outshot by a 16-6 margin after 20 minutes en route to their second straight loss to a rejuvenated Flames squad under new head coach Darryl Sutter.
If Dominique Ducharme's contingent doesn't come out "flying" versus Winnipeg in the series-opener, that could spell trouble.
The Jets are coming off an impressive 2-0-1 stretch against the Maple Leafs in Toronto, and they've also won three of their four meetings with the Canadiens so far this year.

"These next two games are very important for our team. The last two, I don't think we were engaged in the game where we should've been. The communication wasn't there, the support wasn't there, and those are the things that when we do that, we have success," said Anderson, who was held off the scoresheet in Alberta. "The points are getting so tight right now, and these next two games are going to be very important before we go back home."

Monday night's encounter will mark the midway point of the Habs' 56-game regular-season schedule, which has been especially hectic this month already.
After failing to earn a point in back-to-back encounters, the best possible medicine would be to turn the tables on this mini streak in Manitoba and start putting up numbers in the wins and points columns, respectively.
"We've been talking about being urgent all year just because of the way the season is, but as the condensed schedule goes on and you're playing the same teams every night, points are critical to come by. You can't afford to go on these losing streaks. The urgency always needs to be there," stressed alternate captain Brendan Gallagher, who is looking to snap a four-game pointless streak. "You're just going to see it amp up and amp up each and every game you get closer to the end of the season, and so will the desperation level on every club. You can already sense it. You can just feel it growing and building, and by the end of the year, it's just going to continue to go higher."

Gallagher emphasized that the Canadiens' "desperation level needs to be high" given the way things went in Calgary and the way things could go if they don't perform well in Winnipeg.
He's convinced, however, that the team will rise to the occasion and hopefully channel a similar effort to the one displayed this past Wednesday night in Vancouver in a 5-1 victory.
"You're not happy with losing two, and you really won't be happy if you lose three in a row. You need to cut these things short and make sure you put some positive streaks together," insisted Gallagher. "That being said, there's really no doubt. I'm extremely confident in the group that we have. I know that we can handle this properly. The answers are there within the room. It's just on us players. Everything else is taken care of. We've just got to do a better job as a team of sticking to our systems, trusting our systems, and when we do that, it goes well. But we need to do it more consistently."

'We took a step back on Saturday night'
Ducharme had every reason to be disappointed with the Canadiens' results at the Scotiabank Saddledome.
While Thursday night's performance could've easily been attributed to fatigue, Saturday night's subpar showing was simply inexcusable.
But the man who took the reins on February 24 believes there's no reason to panic.
"I think we made a lot of progress over the last couple of weeks. We took a step back on Saturday night, but we just have to use that in the right way to attack each game with the same mentality," said Ducharme. "We didn't do that in Calgary. If we learn from that situation, it'll be a loss that will also help us grow."

With that in mind, he's expecting a far different team to hit the ice against the Jets.
"It's a good group of players. There's no doubt about it. I'm impressed with how fast they learn. It was just a bad night on Saturday. That isn't the way we want to play. That isn't our identity as a team. The guys know that," added Ducharme. "They can see the difference in the game when we aren't following the plan and getting away from our good habits. There's a lot of improvisation, and that isn't a recipe for success."
It remains to be seen if centerman Phillip Danault will be available on Monday night after suffering a first-period injury versus Calgary.
He didn't practice on Sunday, but Ducharme is confident that he'll be good to go.