Following the Montreal Canadiens’ 3-2 overtime loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, fans in Quebec took aim at Kirby Dach for a costly mistake right before J. J. Moser called game with a wicked wrist shot that beat Jakub Dobes. Martin St. Louis wouldn’t stand by and watch as one of his players was bashed by an entire fanbase, and he delivered a clear message.
“It was one play, it was only one play,” Martin St. Louis said on Dach’s mistake in overtime, via The Hockey News. “[Dach] brings physicality. For me, in the last two weeks, he has played with a lot of combativity.“
Prior to Moser’s overtime, game-winning goal, Dach sent a pass the length of the rink, icing the puck. With tired bodies on the ice, the Lightning gained possession off the draw, and Moser cashed in. Habs fans didn’t take it lightly. Following harsh backlash online, Dach deactivated his social media accounts.
Once again, the Canadiens’ fanbase proved it is among the most passionate in the NHL, but it can often cross the line between passion and madness.
Martin St. Louis of the Montreal Canadiens at the United Center
Canadiens suffer rough loss in Game 2
The Montreal Canadiens came just inches away from taking a 2-0 series lead as Lane Hutson hit the post with less than a minute left in regulation. Immediately after, the ice at Benchmark International Arena tilted. From that moment on, it was all Tampa Bay Lightning in the extra period. Montreal was put up against the wall by Tampa Bay.
The Habs recorded no shots on goal in 12:48 minutes of overtime, and it was the Bolts’ ninth shot that finally beat Jakub Dobes and tied the series at one game apiece. That was all she wrote for the Canadiens in their second visit to the Big Guava. The series is even as it heads to Quebec’s metropolis.
Canadiens fans used Dach as scapegoat
Indeed, Dach’s icing was costly, but it’s far from the main reason why the Habs lost the game. They were unable to create anything, and the Bolts ran circles around them in overtime. As the Canadiens return home to The City of Saints, it remains to be seen how the capacity crowd at Bell Centre will greet Dach.
Perhaps, Martin St. Louis takes him out of the lineup. St. Louis has won virtually every trophy during his playing career, but he’s learned even more valuable lessons—one of them being to never air dirty laundry in public.
Lightning vs Canadiens: Series schedule
- Game 3: Lightning at Canadiens (April 24)
- Game 4: Lightning at Canadiens (April 26)
- Game 5: Canadiens at Lightning (April 29)
- Game 6: Lightning at Canadiens (May 1)*
- Game 7: Canadiens at Lightning (May 3)*
*If needed
