TAMPA | Martin St-Louis will have fond memories of this final game of 2023, except for the final result: a 4-3 loss to the Lightning at Amalie Arena.

• Also read: Another loss in Florida for CH

• Also read: WATCH: CH scores a very strange goal

At a press conference, St-Louis assessed this meeting very positively. Although he often sees the glass as half full, the Canadian head coach was right to be cheerful at 2 a.m. and the New Year.

“I’m happy with our team play,” St-Louis said. We haven't received the result. But if we play like this often, we will win more often than we lose. »

“We dominated the Lightning in their building,” he continued. We beat them but didn't win. That's why I always make sure to measure success. I'm happy with my players and the game. We didn't win, but we didn't fail. »

The CH won in one aspect of this encounter, namely the shorthanded game. The Habs shut out the Lightning, one of the NHL's best five-on-four teams, three times.

Even more impressive than the three from three was that the Canadian didn't allow a single shot to the Lightning while defending with one less player.

The Lightning are 3rd in the NHL with 28.9% on the power play. With Nikita Kucherov, Steven Stamkos, Brayden Point and Victor Hedman, they have the tools to wreak havoc. But one evening that wasn't the case.

Cooper is calm

Jon Cooper spoke about Johnathan Kovacevic's goal after the game. If he wins, he could look back on this bizarre game with a smile on his face.

“It's one of the strangest games. When you show up to a game, you don't know what you might see. Whether I agreed or not, the linesman (Jonny Murray) ran up to me afterwards and told me he hadn't blown the whistle. He had the pipe in his mouth. »

“The goalkeepers have their routine. Jonas (Johansson) had come out of his net, as he does after the final whistle. We'll talk to him about that game, but he ended the game with the win. »

And the Lightning needed this win, especially after two straight losses since returning from Christmas.