The Montreal Canadiens’ win against the Boston Bruins Thursday night marked their 12th straight game without a regulation loss and another historical milestone for head coach Martin St. Louis.
With the 5-2 road win against Boston, St. Louis notched his 175th victory as the Canadiens’ head coach, moving him into seventh place on the team’s all-time coaching wins list.
With a 9-0-3 record during their streak, the Canadiens moved to 12-3-4 on the season, now sitting atop the Atlantic Division alongside the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After earning two straight playoff berths following a three-year drought and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals last year, St. Louis appears to have Montreal moving in the right direction.
St. Louis Speaks on the Win
After the game, Martin St. Louis was asked about earning his 175th win as the Canadiens’ head coach and passing Pat Burns on the all-time list.
“I love my job. You know, obviously to surpass someone like Pat… I spent time with Pat through Team Canada, and he was an excellent man,” St. Louis responded. “I was a young kid watching the Canadiens, with Pat behind the bench, and I loved him just like the rest of the team. When you reflect on that, it’s special to have the opportunity to be mentioned in the same conversation as Pat Burns.”
St. Louis was happy with the road win in Boston but didn’t hold back when discussing how his team could have played better.
“I’ll say quickly that this wasn’t our best game tonight. You know, but you come away with a win,” St. Louis said when asked about the outcome. “It’s not easy to win games here in Boston, so you’ll take the win. We were opportunistic with our chances, but it wasn’t our best game.”
The Canadiens went up 5-0 late in the second period, capping off their scoring for the night before the Bruins went on to score two consolation goals.
Each of Montreal’s five goals came from a different player, while 10 players recorded a point in the win, a great sign of the team’s depth.
Next up for Montreal
Looking to extend their 12-game streak without a regulation loss, the Canadiens will face off at home against Colorado on Saturday night.
Colorado enters the matchup at 11-6-3 on the year, setting up an exciting East-versus-West showdown between the two teams.
Both teams currently rank among the top eight in goals scored per game, meaning the Canadiens will need to slow down Colorado’s dangerous attack.
With players like Artturi Lehkonen, Martin Necas, and Cale Makar leading the way, the Avalanche offense will bring plenty of pressure for Montreal’s defense.
Luckily for Montreal, its offense has been on a tear recently as well, scoring 4.3 goals per game over its last seven matchups.
Hoping to climb into sole possession of first place in the Atlantic Division, the Canadiens will take the ice at 7:00 p.m. ET Saturday night as they look to add to their impressive streak.
Martin St. Louis Passes Pat Burns as Canadiens Extend Impressive Streak