If one day Josh Anderson doubts the Montreal fans’ love for him, he can remember the presentation of the three stars from Saturday night’s game and the ovation he received when he finished his interview with his colleague Renaud Lavoie at the rink , watch again.

It’s been a long time since the Bell Center was so excited to award a first star to a Canadiens player.

“I heard it from the entrance to the locker room. And there was music in the locker room. “That means there was a pretty loud ovation,” said Martin St-Louis. That does not surprise me. Our fans appreciate players who work to overcome obstacles.”

“I’m proud of him. “He deserved what he got,” the Canadian head coach continued. What he went through wasn’t easy. He kept fighting. As with everything in life, if you give up, you will definitely not getting what you want.”

Exactly. Despite not being able to beat a goalie in the first 29 games of the season, the Ontario native never gave up. Despite the lack of results and growing frustration, he continued to work and show up near the opposition net.

“Every night he flies over the ice. He uses his body. He creates chances and gets them himself. A successful score changes the dynamic. That’s just the beginning. I’m so proud of him,” said Cole Caufield, who ended a seven-game losing streak by scoring the winning goal.

It’s no coincidence that his teammates were as happy as if he had scored the first goal of his career.

“I was next to my net and had my arms in the air,” Samuel Montembeault said. He also scored two goals. And it wasn’t anything incredible. He went to the net, worked hard and took advantage of good opportunities.

The awakening of the attackers

Anderson isn’t the only one who has benefited from a greater presence near the opposing goalkeeper. Joel Armia and Cole Caufield also beat Semyon Varlamov before Christian Dvorak decided the Islanders’ fate in an empty net.

Five goals have not been scored by Canadian attackers since the very first game of the calendar in Toronto. Furthermore, it was only the third time in the campaign that the Habs had pulled the strings five times.

We have to assume that the training work of the last week is paying off. It’s been a few games now since we’ve seen the Habs attackers get much more involved in the offensive zone. You have given up passive mode.

“It’s a big part of our game at the moment. Forechecking isn’t just about throwing the puck away. It’s the same when we lose in the offensive zone. We stay there, we are on them. We don’t give them room to breathe. If you start defending in the opponent’s territory, you will have to do it less in your zone.

• This was the Canadian’s last game at the Bell Center in 2023. Martin St-Louis and his men will play their next seven games at opposing rinks. They will return home on January 4th.