MONTREAL — The message from Martin St. Louis has been consistent throughout these Stanley Cup Playoffs.
“Control what you can through the chaos,” he keeps saying, and he knows how much more important that’ll be for his Montreal Canadiens on this day than it’s been for them on any other since they started this journey midway through April.
Ahead of the first Saturday game the Canadiens have played in nearly a month, with a chance to eliminate the Buffalo Sabres and advance to an Eastern Conference Final matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes, it’s expected that the level of chaos will only rise.
If you want a sense for how high, consider that the Montreal police took to social media Friday night pleading for pyrotechnics and fireworks to be left at home and not brought to the massive outdoor watch party outside the Bell Centre — reminding people that carrying anything that “explodes, burns or can be launched” is prohibited at large gatherings — and they’re asking people to channel the coach of the Canadiens to calm friends who may be grappling with bad ideas or intentions.
Inside, Game 6 will bring its own mayhem, which is what St. Louis wants his team to beware of.
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Canadiens battle Sabres in Game 6 on Sportsnet
The Montreal Canadiens look to move on to the Eastern Conference Final when they try to close out their Round 2 series against the Buffalo Sabres. Watch Game 6 Saturday on Sportsnet and Sportsnet+ beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET/ 4:30 p.m. PT.
Broadcast schedule
“It’s very chaotic,” said St. Louis after the Canadiens’ optional morning skate. “I’ve said it before, but can you see clearly through that chaos? It’s going to be noisy, emotional, and you want to win the game, but are you able to bring the level of details required through all that chaos?”
The Canadiens are confident they will.
Speaking with Lane Hutson, Kaiden Guhle, Cole Caufield, Arber Xhekaj and Jake Evans following the skate, there was a noticeable sense of calm about all of them.
There was excitement, too.
“Finally, it’s our first Saturday night playoff game at home,” said Evans. “I’ve learned throughout these playoffs, it feels like it’s the same crowd no matter what the day is. Again, it’s the best building to play in. Saturdays are always special, but every day when you’re in the playoffs, it doesn’t matter what day it is.”
It doesn’t matter how much more significant the game is, either.
“Of course the guys want to close the series tonight, for sure,” said St. Louis. “Who doesn’t? In your building? I think if you just spend so much time telling them how important it is, do you raise the level of stress? So to me it’s, ‘Guys, it’s just another game, let’s go play. The nets will be there in the same spot, the blue line, the red, let’s just go play.’ And it’s not getting caught up into, ‘Oh, I gotta rise to this occasion.’ No, it’s just playing to your standards with the details of the game. It’s going to be the same game. Let the rest take care of itself, control what you can. We’re not trying to magnify the situation by telling them how important (it is) with, ‘We need to put a stamp on this.’ No, we just need to go play the best game we can play with nothing guaranteed.”
That’s the approach the Canadiens have had throughout these playoffs, and it’s given them this opportunity.
The Sabres have changed theirs. For the first time, their season is on the line, and coach Lindy Ruff cancelled both Friday’s practice and Saturday’s skate in an attempt to unburden his team.
“I know the pressure they’re feeling,” Ruff told reporters who attended his media briefing in Buffalo on Friday. “I know how they feel. I know how much they care. I just feel a day away from the rink, not coming here, is a good thing. We don’t need to watch video today. We don’t need to talk about the game. We need to move on. There’s only one game that counts now. And that is the game (Saturday). All likelihood, we may not even skate (Saturday). We’ll save everything we got for (Saturday) night. That’s my initial thoughts right now.”
He followed through on them.
The Canadiens just stuck to their normal routine, and St. Louis is sticking to his.
“There’s a lot of preparation that goes into it,” he said. “We meet with the team, we talk about the task at hand, try to make sure everybody’s in a good place mentally, and then we try to get some downtime. Not trying to play the game before (it happens). And yes, I’ll watch Seinfeld and take a nap, and then we get going.”
It’ll be just after 8 p.m. ET when the game starts, and the chaos will ratchet up.
The Canadiens are just hoping to once again see through it clearly enough to put their best foot forward.
