VANCOUVER | Although his team lost a four-goal lead and lost the game to the Vancouver Canucks, Martin St-Louis was disarmingly calm after the game.

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For him, this heartbreaking defeat is part of the development process of his young players. In these moments they gather experience for the future. That’s what introducing a new culture is all about.

“There are more positives than negatives,” St-Louis said after the game. We were able to control our emotions in the game and kept playing.

He didn’t hesitate to call a time-out after the opponent’s fifth goal. The message was simple: he wanted his players to keep playing like this.

“Everything that happens during a game is a thing of the past. There were 11 minutes left and we lost 5 to 4. We kept playing and fighting.

“During a game there is never a game or action that cannot make a difference. Sometimes it can be an offside or a penalty. Every game has an important value.

“The last three minutes of the second hurt us. It gave them some life.”

A strange game

In the dressing room, the players agreed. They played a strange game that undermined both teams’ defenses.

“It’s a shame to lose a four-goal lead,” said Josh Anderson. During his time-out, Martin asked us to keep pushing and try to keep a better eye on their attackers in our area.

“We played well in the opposing zone and we were able to put pressure on.”

It will be interesting to follow Sean Monahan’s condition over the coming hours. If he can’t play in Seattle, there could be some lineup changes. We could see a system of exchanges between center players.