Canadiens' St. Louis: 'We have a very confident group right now'
Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis praised his squad after it mounted an electrifying three-goal comeback against the Colorado Avalanche on home ice.
The Habs erased a 4-1 deficit in the third period with three goals in just over four minutes. Montreal ultimately lost in a shootout but earned an important point in the playoff race against a difficult opponent.
"We have a very confident group right now," St. Louis said, according to Sportsnet's Eric Engels. "I found we came in waves in the third. It wasn't just one line. We came in waves, and I think we gave them trouble."
The Canadiens held on to the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference despite the defeat. The Habs are one point up on the New York Rangers with two games in hand, and they're two points ahead of the New York Islanders with the same number of contests played.
Montreal returned from the 4 Nations Face-Off break five points back of a playoff spot but has gone 8-1-4 since Feb. 22. Only three teams have accumulated more points over that span.
"We believe in here that we can play against anyone," said forward Juraj Slafkovsky. "That's how we went into the game, and that's how our mindset was through the whole (65 minutes and shootout)."
The Canadiens haven't qualified for the playoffs since the pandemic-shortened 2020-21 season. They lost the Stanley Cup Final that year.