Martin St Louis Benches Canadiens Star Forward for the Entire Third Period
Photo credit: © Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Despite the Canadiens being down just one goal in the third period, star player Patrik Laine was benched and did not see a single minute of ice time.
Down 2-1 to begin the third period of Game 2, Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis made a strategic decision to shorten his bench in hopes of mounting a comeback.
"They're decisions you make as a coach," said Martin St. Louis of the benchings. "I shortened my bench by a lot in the third. Honestly, I went with the nine or 10 (forwards) who I thought could help the cause."
The decision did come at the cost of ice time for some of his key players, none more conspicuously than forward Patrik Laine, who did not see the ice at all in the third period. Joel Armia wasn't far behind, skating just a single shift in the third.
Laine, acquired by the Canadiens during the off-season with high hopes, ended the night with a total ice time of only 10 minutes and 10 seconds.
Laine was on the ice for all three Capitals goals in Game 1
In Game 1, he had an assist in slightly more than 13 minutes of action but also ended up with a minus-2 rating.
While the Finnish winger began the season strong and led the club with 15 regular-season power-play goals, his recent offensive struggles have been apparent.
He has now scored just once in his last 11 games, including another goalless effort in Game 2.
Armia, meanwhile, had a team-low 7:27 of ice time, as St. Louis leaned heavily on his top players while trying to shift momentum. For Montreal, the effort wasn't enough to beat Washington Capitals goalie Logan Thompson in the third period.
The Canadiens now find themselves down 2-0 in the series as the first-round series shifts to Montreal for Game 3.
| POLL | ||
AVRIL 24 | 148 ANSWERS Martin St Louis Benches Canadiens Star Forward for the Entire Third Period Do you agree with the benching of Patrik Laine? | ||
| Yes | 117 | 79.1 % |
| No | 31 | 20.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
