It was Montreal’s biggest goal-differential loss since a 9-2 loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Dec. 12.
“Every loss is hard to sleep on but in the playoffs it’s really, after midnight you move on, that’s what it is,” forward Phillip Danault said. “Obviously this morning you wake up and that one stings a little more, but sometimes it’s good.”
What is particularly good for the Canadiens is that they had a mulligan available before they squandered their first chance to eliminate Buffalo.
“You have to learn why you had a bad game,” St. Louis said. “You have to be strong mentally.”
To a man, the Canadiens would like to move past that missed opportunity to advance to the Eastern Conference Final against the Carolina Hurricanes.
“Obviously we need a better start,” Danault said. “It has to be our best game. I know we’re young but it’s no excuse. We know how we can play and we know how good our group can be.”.
St. Louis does not see an opportunity for Montreal to just bounce back. He frames it as another chance to “bounce forward,” to advance rather than merely recover.
“This situation is magnified in terms of bouncing forward,” St. Louis said. “The obstacles in life come at different times, and for us right now it just came in the last 24 hours, and we have to find a way to bounce forward.”
