Canadiens HC Martin St. Louis makes his feelings known about Kirby Dach's performance in 6-2 loss to Golden Knights

Montreal Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis shared his thoughts on Kirby Dach’s performance after their 6-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Saturday. St. Louis pointed out Dach's decision-making, especially in the second period.

He mentioned a no-look backhand pass by Dach that led to a goal for Vegas. The coach said that while Dach is trying to make plays, some of his decisions are too risky and cause problems.

Despite the mistakes, St. Louis showed understanding and recognized the frustration Dach felt after missing time. He said:

"(He is) trying to make something happen, but it's a hard leak ... I feel for (Dach), he missed a lot of time, and it's frustrating for him because we all know how good he can be ... but they want to help and they got to find a fine line between helping and hurting."

After a tough start, Dach fought harder in the third period. St. Louis pointed out that hiding during tough times only makes things worse and praised Dach for continuing to push through difficulties.

“He wasn’t hiding, he didn’t look like his confidence went deeper. I felt he was fighting and hiding. And that's how you come out of it. You can't hide when things don't go well.”

Dach’s recent stats show mixed results. Against Vegas, he had no points, a minus-2 plus-minus and one shot on goal in 15 minutes of ice time. In November, he has three points (zero goals, three assists) in nine games, with a minus-3 rating.

At home, his rating is minus-10 over 11 games. His performance is worse in losses, with just one point in 13 games, compared to seven points in seven wins.

Despite the setbacks, St. Louis believes Dach can turn things around. The Canadiens need Dach to step up as they prepare for their next game against the Utah Hockey Club on Tuesday.

Montreal Canadiens' offense and defense failed in front of Vegas Vegas Golden Knights

Both the Canadiens' offense and defense faltered against the Vegas Golden Knights at Bell Centre. Vegas dominated the second period.

Tomas Hertl scored first at 4:39 of the second period, taking a pass from Brayden McNabb and finding an open net. Callahan Burke made it 2-0 at 8:18 with his first NHL goal.

Barbashev then scored at 9:09, finishing a give-and-go with Jack Eichel. Tanner Pearson added the fourth goal at 10:35 and Keegan Kolesar scored at 17:02.

The Canadiens responded in the third period. Emil Heineman scored a power-play goal at 2:03, followed by Jayden Struble at 13:03. Jack Eichel closed the game at 18:12 with a one-timer on Barbashev’s pass for the 6-2 final.