"Don't think we cheated the game": Canadiens HC Marty St. Louis growing content of Habs' overall game after back-to-back wins

Montreal Canadiens coach Marty St. Louis was impressed with his team's overall performance after beating the Philadelphia Flyers 4-3 on Sunday, recording back-to-back wins.

The two games showed the Habs improving impressively following a heavy defeat to the New York Rangers last week. St. Louis reckons the team is getting closer to the version they want to be, noting that sometimes setbacks can help propel the players to improve.

Marty St. Louis pointed out that respecting the game's principles can lead to better results on the ice. When asked about the impact of having young players on the team, the Habs coach said in the post-game interview (8:50 onwards):

"Yeah, I think our young guys in general are starting to realize that. If you respect these rules of the game—and I'm not talking about penalties, offsides, and all that — but just how you should play the game, the game will respect you back.

"I think you're seeing it. I think we had a lot of guys having offensive success this weekend, and I don't think we cheated the game. I thought we played a strong collective defensive game. It's a big improvement from Tuesday night against New York."

The Montreal Canadiens are sixth in the Atlantic Division and 18th overall in the league standings with nine points. The Habs last made the playoffs in 2021, losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in the Stanley Cup Final.

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Montreal Canadiens ranked 11th in front office ranking

The Habs consist of one of the youngest squads in the league. They are in their third year of their rebuilding journey, aiming to reclaim their status as a powerhouse in the NHL.

While there have been noticeable improvements over the past three seasons, the Habs haven't made it into the top 10 of rebuilding teams, according to an NHL's top front office ranking by The Athletic.

The ranking, which involved insights from 40 NHL executives, showed that the Canadiens received votes for third, fifth and second place, accumulating a total of 13 points. However, they still trail behind the top-ranked Dallas Stars, who accumulated 251 points.

Despite a relatively positive ranking from their front office, the Canadiens' on-ice performance indicates that there's still work to be done before returning to compete at the highest level consistently.

The Habs next face the Seattle Kraken on Tuesday, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.