CGY@MTL: Quotes of the day

BROSSARD - The Canadiens skated at the Bell Sports Complex on Friday morning ahead of their rematch against the Flames at the Bell Centre.

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Following the on-ice session, defenseman Ben Chiarot, forward Cole Caufield and interim head coach Dominique Ducharme spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Chiarot on the significance of the matchup versus Calgary:
It's as big a game as there's been this year. It's a team that's hungry and chasing us in the standings. We saw that last game, them coming out with a little more jump and a little more jam than us, so we'll be looking for a big response from our team.

Chiarot on sticking to his playing style, regardless of his recent hand injury that required surgery:
It doesn't change much for me. Fighting is a part of my game. It's something that's always been there, and it has to always be there the way I play. You're going to have to answer the bell at times. My job is to make the game hard on the other team's best players. If the other team's best players are going to challenge me, then I'm going to be willing to answer, so it doesn't really change anything in terms of what I'm going to do.

Caufield on the impact of Rocket head coach Joël Bouchard thus far in Laval:
It's been unbelievable down there. He's one great coach. I'm just trying to learn as much as I can from him. He knows what he's talking about. He's done a great job this year. I'm just happy to be a part of it. He's going to continue to teach me things and I'm just going to continue to learn.

Caufield on being around the Canadiens as a member of the taxi squad:
It's just an exciting experience to be up here right now. It's great to be on the ice with those guys and great to be in the meetings and just learn as much as I can. The coaching staff has been great, too. I'm just trying to work hard and do as much as I can to hopefully get that chance to play. Right now, though, I'm just focused on day-by-day things and doing the best I can.

Ducharme on the return of Chiarot after being sidelined for the last 15 games:
It's good to see him out there again. We'll see how things go. We'll see how we use him.

Ducharme on Caufield's status with the big club:

There's one thing that we need to clarify. We're not in a situation where we can make movement with the forwards, even with the defensemen. With our cap situation and the League rules, we cannot bring a guy like Jake Evans in, we cannot bring Michael Frolik in, we cannot bring Cole in. The only way those guys come in is with an injury. We cannot predict if we're going to be having injuries tonight, tomorrow or next week. We don't know.

Ducharme on the reasoning behind Caufield's recall:
We want him to see how it is, how the guys are practicing, being around the guys and seeing what's going on. We'll see for the trip. We cannot just bring guys in and scratch other guys. It's only injuries. Is it better to have him in Laval and have good long practices and keep adjusting, or doing two morning skates and one practice with us on the trip?