The Montreal Canadiens had only a brief relief from their losing ways early in the season.
After an unexpected offensive outburst against the Florida Panthers two nights ago, ending a tumultuous seven-game losing streak fraught with frustration, the Habs found themselves back in the loss column courtesy a 4-0 defeat against the L.A. Kings.
The Kings continue to roll in the Western Conference. The Habs continue to fall in the East. And the tension seems to be growing, with general manager Marc Bergevin facing the heat for his moves and construction of this roster. On Thursday, Carey Price was apparently the latest to hear from the faithful.
Carey Price was just mock cheered for stopping a 200-foot clear by the Kings. It's getting edgy.
— Arpon Basu (@ArponBasu) October 27, 2017
Oh boy.
On Tuesday, the Habs were down and then came roaring back with three goals in under two minutes. That continued into the third period, as they put the game away on a night when Alex Galchenyuk, previously demoted to the fourth line, and their slumping captain Max Pacioretty busted their respective scoring droughts.
There was no repeat performance versus the Kings. Jonathan Quick made 40 saves to shut out a Habs team that has struggled so far through October to score goals, while Price gave up four goals on 28 shots.
“I told them the answer is in that room,” said Bergevin on Wednesday, per the Montreal Gazette. “Coaches are working every day, spending hours and we watch tapes. And we see where the breakdowns are and there’s the smallest breakdown and the puck’s in our net, and it affects the confidence. That’s not what people want to hear, but that’s reality. You can play with a bad foot or a bad hand, but with no confidence (you can’t win).”
A lack of confidence is not the only thing ailing this team.
Bronx cheers, plenty of booing going on, too. This place is emptying in a hurry
— Joey Alfieri (@joeyalfieri) October 27, 2017
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Cam Tucker is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @CamTucker_Sport.