Brendan Gallagher got his team into trouble when he received a major penalty in the third period for elbowing Adam Pelech in the head. Martin St-Louis recognized it after the meeting. However, given his comments, we understand that the Canadian coach would rather deal with the risks that come with Gallagher's style than have to flog mules.

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“If you don’t work hard, it’s easy not to get punished,” he said. Caution is required when handling it [comme entraîneur]. You want your boys to give. But sometimes when they indulge, they end up punished. The line is thin. »

Except that Gallagher's actions were so obvious that he will probably have to explain himself to the league's disciplinary committee. A suspension would not be a surprise.

“I’m sure the league will be watching [le geste]. “But I understand Gally,” St-Louis argued. From his position on the ice, he wanted to slow down the opponent. It goes fast.”

For Gally

Let's assume he didn't just slow down Pelech. He stopped him.

“It’s something we want to remove from the game,” argued Jean-Gabriel Pageau in the Islanders’ locker room. It's never pleasant to see a teammate or opponent on the ice like that. The head is very important. »

St-Louis may be on his teammate's side, but he knows full well that he is aware that he made the end of the game difficult for his teammates.

“Usually you don’t have to say much to veterans. You know it, said St-Louis. The boys know that Gally gives everything for the team. It is certain that they wanted this punishment for him to kill. But five minutes isn't easy. »

It smelled burnt

While St. Louis might not have to call Gallagher into his office, things might be different for Arber Xhekaj. The sheriff visited the penalty box twice for offenses that could easily have been avoided.

He also received a questionable penalty against the Senators on Tuesday.

“I don’t love it,” St-Louis commented simply.

The Habs presented the Islanders with eight numerical superiorities, nearly negating the efforts of the first twenty.

“We played with fire. “We almost burned ourselves,” St-Louis agreed.

At least we were able to prevent the worst.