Quotes of the day: Weber, Drouin & Ducharme

EDMONTON - The Canadiens practiced at Downtown Community Arena on Tuesday afternoon.

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Following the on-ice session, defenseman Shea Weber, forward Jonathan Drouin, and interim head coach Dominique Ducharme spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Weber on the grind of the condensed schedule:
It's tough. It's tough on everyone. It's tough on every team. There's no excuses. We're not going to make any in here. We got to practice today. We don't have a lot of opportunities to practice. I thought we had a really good practice. With the schedule, we're fortunate enough to be able to play so many games that we can't dwell on what happened last game. We've got to move forward and win on Wednesday.

Weber on the biggest adjustment the team must make for the rematch versus the Oilers:
We've just got to play 60 minutes. I thought we did a lot of good things last game. We limited their opportunities. If we have to win 1-0, we're not concerned about it. It's not in guys' best interest to be looking for points. We want to get the win, and if it's 1-0, we'll play tight. We've got to do it for 60 minutes. That's going to be the key to success.

Drouin on the positive atmosphere at practice:
We won't have many opportunities to practice in the coming days because there are so many games. We had an intense practice. They have to be intense. Dominique generally has 30 to 35-minute practices. It's on us to work. That's what we did today. We're confident in our abilities and we have a good attitude. You can't get down after a loss. You have to move on. We're playing against the same team again, so it's fun to have another chance to get back at it right away. You don't need to spend two or three days thinking about the previous game. We're starting over and it's a big game for us.

Drouin on the importance of this final stretch:
At this stage of the season, everybody knows what we're doing. We know the systems of every team and what they're going to be doing with their players, too. We play in a good league, in a good division. Everything is tight right now. They're all four-point games. We're taking things one game at a time. We're trying to get points every game. It's the time of the year when things are tough. It's tight and the playoffs are coming. It's playoff hockey right now. We're playing against Edmonton again and we have three games against Calgary coming up, so there won't be a lot of space out there. But, it's preparing us for the playoffs.
Ducharme on defenseman Jon Merrill's first day of practice with the group:
He's an experienced player. We watch a lot of video on guys before they get to the rink, but we get better answers on the ice. We got a look at his skill set out there, but it was just a practice. It was also his first time skating in a week. There are a number of factors to take into account, but we'll have some time on the ice in the morning. We'll have an optional skate. He'll skate, so we'll make a decision about his playing status then. But, we definitely want to see him in a game to evaluate what he can bring to the team.

Ducharme on goaltender Cayden Primeau eventually getting an opportunity to play with Carey Price on the sidelines for at least one week due to the NHL's concussion protocol:
The chances are good. We like how the kid is handling himself. He's been really solid with the Rocket. It's that time of the year when young guys come in and play in big games. We're confident that when the time comes, he's going to be sharp.