In the Habs room:

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As losses continue to pile up, journalists covering the Canadiens are running out of questions and players are running out of answers.

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This is a very bad hockey team and injuries have made the Canadiens worse.

But goalie Jake Allen is a true professional and was there to answer questions after Saturday night’s 4-1 against the Blues in St. Louis that cut the Canadiens’ record to 6-20-3 and extended their winless streak. wins to six games (0 -5-1).

“It’s a bit frustrating for our group right now,” Allen said after allowing four goals on 37 shots and once again not getting much help from his teammates. “It’s tough. Obviously we are not playing hockey very well and we are facing a lot of hills. We are going up a lot of hills right now and we have to start moving a little more towards that hill on this next schedule here before Christmas to win something. of strength “.

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The Canadiens have six more games before Christmas and four of them are on the road, where they are 2-10-2.

“We need more of everyone,” said Allen, who saw his record drop to 5-14-2 with an average of 3.01 goals against and a .906 save percentage. “This is an opportunity right now for many of these young people to come in and exhibit and this is their opportunity. I see it that way too, even though I’ve played 350 games. I still see this as an opportunity for me. That’s how I see it and I want those guys in that locker room to see it that way too. “

The Canadiens’ disabled list is ridiculous, with Jake Evans added on Saturday and the team also announced that Tyler Toffoli will be out for eight weeks after undergoing hand surgery earlier in the week.

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At this point, losses will help the Canadiens more than wins move forward when it comes to their chances of landing the No. 1 pick in next year’s NHL Draft, which will take place at the Bell Center. But it can be dangerous when losing becomes acceptable or a habit.

“You never want to get to that point,” Allen said. “I think that it is reached that point that it is a really dangerous avenue to travel. Losses are going to happen, no matter how good your hockey team is. But it depends on how you lose. How you play, how you respect it. If you lose, you lose. But you know you fell swinging. Obviously it’s tough right now, there have been a lot of losses lately. We have to win here to change the culture a bit and get going. “

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Injuries have given many young players a chance to play and the Canadiens management will have to make a decision when injured players begin to return to the lineup. Is it better to let the young gain experience or try to win with the older ones?

“Right now it’s not about what we think is best, it’s really about having 20 guys in the lineup,” said head coach Dominique Ducharme. “It is never bad to do some mileage, it is only in a moment as an organization when we have more men at that moment, then we will have to decide in which direction we want to go and observe each individual and make decisions. Because at the same time, you don’t want to have only young guys who aren’t quite ready and who are just trying to survive in the face of playing at another level, gaining confidence, making key plays, playing in great moments and great situations. and so. In a moment we can get the boys back and we will be in that situation to make decisions like that. “

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If the Canadiens end up with the top pick in the draft, the best prospect is Shane Wright. The Kingston Frontenacs center became the sixth player granted “exceptional status” to play senior-junior hockey when he was 15 years old for the 2019-20 OHL season and posted totals of 39-27-66 in 58 games. Last year, Wright was captain when Team Canada won gold at the IIHF U-18 World Championship, going 9-5-14 in five games. This season, as the 17-year-old captain of the Frontenacs, Wright is 11-19-30 in 22 games.

On Friday, while attending Team Canada’s camp in Calgary for the junior world championship, Wright was asked what he thought about the possibility of being selected by the Canadiens.

“I wouldn’t mind that,” he said. “It would be an incredible place to play. Obviously, it is a franchise with so much history. It’s an amazing city, the fans are also some of the best in the league. I feel like it would be an amazing place to play. “

The NHL Draft won’t take place until July 7, but at least it’s something Canadiens fans have to look forward to during what will be a very long winter.

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