Martin St-Louis sent a very clear message to Arber Xhekaj in front of journalists

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David St-Jean
November 8, 2023 (9:23)

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The Habs are having trouble getting off to a good start, as evidenced by the fact that they've allowed the first goal to the other team in the last six games.

Another unfortunate trend for the CH is their difficulty staying out of the penalty box. It's incredible to take so many penalties. Their lack of discipline is costing them dearly.

Last night, they were downgraded again early on, as the Lightning scored four goals in the first period. Things picked up after that, but every time a spark was created, a penalty was called.

In the 3rd period, the players came out with the knife between their teeth and scored two quick goals, which gave them a boost. With over 10 minutes left in the game, there was hope.

However, Arber Xhekaj took a completely unnecessary four-minute penalty in front of Samuel Montembeault's net, which cut the heart out and made a comeback almost impossible at this stage of the game.

In his post-match press conference, Martin St-Louis identified the penalty as a turning point and admitted he didn't like it, with a very disappointed look on his face.

"I didn't like the Xhekaj penalty. We had just taken the momentum, we were losing by four, but now we score two and it becomes a two-goal game. If you score another, you don't know what can happen, but we don't give ourselves a chance with those penalties."

- Martin St-Louis

Despite this, the CH held on thanks to Montembeault's brilliance, but to make matters worse, Jake Evans took another penalty with just over three minutes to play and still trailing by two goals. The Lightning scored and closed the books.

The goalies have saved the team many times since the start of the season, but it's certain that the penalties would eventually catch up with the CH, and the coach is getting pretty fed up with it.

Click here to ear the coach's statement.