Petry: 'We can all bring a little bit more'

TAMPA - The Canadiens were dealt a 5-1 loss by the Lightning in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final at AMALIE Arena.

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After the contest, defensemen Ben Chiarot and Jeff Petry spoke with reporters via Zoom, along with forwards Josh Anderson and Jake Evans.
They were followed by assistant coach Luke Richardson.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Chiarot on turnovers playing a key role in the loss:
It's definitely a factor. That's a team that thrives on turnovers. They're pretty quick coming back the other way every time there's a turnover at their blue line. It's definitely something we have to be aware of and make sure we're a little smarter with the puck.

Chiarot on the importance of matchups against Tampa Bay, and the Lightning featuring some of their top snipers against less experienced Habs:
We have full confidence in our young players up front. We wouldn't be at this point in the playoffs if we didn't have full confidence in them and what they can do in our own end. There are matchups that we'd like to get, but that's not a luxury you have when you're on the road. We still believe in the guys that are going out there, and they can get the job done.
Petry on bouncing back in Game 2, just like the Canadiens did versus the Golden Knights:
It's one game of a seven-game series, so we have to use what we did in Vegas, that experience, that mindset, to rebound. We're going to watch some clips on what we can do better. I think everybody knows that our effort is there, but we can all bring a little bit more. That's what we did in Vegas, and that's what we're looking to do for Game 2.
Petry on the team's overall performance in the series-opener:
We had chances when the game was tighter. If we bury those chances, it's a different game. When they got their third and fourth goal, we started trying to force things and push things. They're a team that feeds off the transition and turnovers. When you're forcing things, that's what's going to happen. I don't think it was a blowout by any means. We can be better and we're looking to rebound for Game 2.
Anderson on the difficulty of getting into prime scoring areas:
They've got some big defensemen back there. It's not easy getting to the front of the net, but we've got to make it hard on them in some sort of way. Two turnovers on our part just increased their offense. They have a lot more confidence when we give them those opportunities.

Anderson on staying positive after a disappointing result:
We're in a really good position here. We're in the Final. There's a lot of confidence in our dressing room. We're going to take the positives out of tonight's game, clean up some areas, and just go and treat the next game like a must-win. We've got to go and steal one on the road and go back home 1-1.
Evans on his recovery from a concussion suffered in the series against Winnipeg:
I don't really want to talk about the hit that much right now. I'd rather just focus on what's ahead of us. But, I do want to thank our trainers. They helped me out a lot throughout the whole process. Regarding the injury, I was just focused on not rushing it. Any brain injury is a serious thing. You don't want to rush back. I just wanted to take my time with it. I obviously wanted to play, but the guys did a great job, so it was easy to take my time.
Evans on the excitement of returning to the lineup and playing in the Final:
It was tough news with Army. He's been playing so well. That's just how well our team has been built. Another guy can step up. I was extremely excited. It does get frustrating watching. You're really happy to see the guys do so well. That part was so exciting. But, just to watch a lot of games in the playoffs, you want to be out there battling with everyone. To get that chance tonight was great.
Richardson on the rationale behind replacing winger Joel Armia with Evans:
The decision was made with the organization and the coaching staff. Joel has been sitting at home for a few days without skating. I'm sure there's a lot of nerves going on with what's happening in the protocols with all the testing. We just felt that with his mindframe flying down, it would be better to get him on the ice for a warmup and get the blood flowing. Jake was cleared to play. That was our decision on that. Jake played well. We thought he played very heads up hockey. He contributed on the penalty kill. I thought he fit in well with that line with Perry and Staal, and created some offensive cycling just like Joel would.

Richardson on a key takeaway from Game 1:
The positive is we didn't play our best game, so we know we can get better. They're always a talented team that plays well and definitely creates off mistakes that you make. By us playing better and managing the puck better, or maybe limiting those mistakes and creating a little bit more ourselves, we have a good way to go up. That's going to be the positive out of it.