Staal: 'We know they're going to be better'

BROSSARD - The Canadiens skated at the Bell Sports Complex on Sunday morning ahead of Game 3 against the Jets.

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Following the on-ice session, forwards Eric Staal and Cole Caufield spoke with reporters via Zoom.
They were followed by interim head coach Dominique Ducharme.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Staal on the approach to Game 3 with an opportunity to push the Jets to the brink of elimination:
The series isn't over until you've accumulated four wins. For us, it's about keeping a narrow focus. We were happy with the two results we got in Winnipeg, but it's only two results. We need to get to four. We know they're going to be better. We know they're going to come out engaged and ready to play, and we need to do the same. We're back home, we get fans again in the building, and we need to use that excitement to our advantage and play a solid game and a team game that we've played for the last little bit. We need to put ourselves in a good position.

Staal on staying hungry and maintaining a sense of urgency with a 2-0 lead in the series:
Collectively as a group, and with the type of people we have in our locker room, we'll make sure that we stay focused. We'll talk about it before the game. We know what we need to accomplish in order to get the end result tonight. It's about the first shift and building on it from there. It's a challenge to get to four wins and we know it's going to take a lot, but we've got ourselves an opportunity here tonight to put ourselves in a really good spot. It's going to take a great effort from everybody.
Caufield on learning about the process of winning from key veterans:
I've learned the most about the importance of experience and how it helps a locker room win. Having guys that have gone through the process before, they know what they're doing, and when they open their mouths, you listen. It's kind of like a class. You want to know what they have to say. Having guys that went through it, it's all about the games that they've played. You just know you can trust them and you kind of build off them. You kind of watch what they're doing and you try to make it your own and do what you can with it. Experience is something I've really noticed throughout my years, and especially this one. Every level I've played at, even this year, having guys that have gone through it before is the biggest thing you can learn from.

Caufield on what has really stood out about playing in the postseason:
It's a full 60 minutes. More often than not, it takes more than that. Every shift matters, every time you touch the puck, you've got to make the right play, you've got to make smart plays and simple plays, get pucks out when needed and every chance matters. It's not like the regular season at all, in my opinion. Every time the puck is on your stick, it matters. It's a bit of a jump.
Ducharme on never taking a lead in a playoff series for granted:
We've been on the other side of it, when we trailed against Toronto. We know the feeling of being down in a series. We don't want to make a mistake and think that we've accomplished our objective. We learned a lot in the first round and we'll use that the right way.

Ducharme on the progess of Caufield's defensive game:
He's very attentive and he wants to play the right way. Every time we give him something to work on, with or without the puck, he wants to adapt and get better. We know he can apply what he's learning quickly. We're really happy to see that. Being detail-oriented like that, it's promising for his future.