In the final frame of their second blowout loss to the LA Kings in less than two weeks, the Montreal Canadiens were the recipients of boos from their hometown crowd on Thursday night.
With their team outshot 42-14 and down 4-0 on the scoresheet, the Bell Centre was full of empty seats and unhappy Canadiens fans by the end of the third period.
When asked about the booing, head coach Martin St. Louis emphasized his disappointment but revealed that he didn’t expect it to become common.
“Nobody likes that. I think it’s the first time this year,” St. Louis told reporters on Friday. “We didn’t score a goal. And we didn’t have a great push in the third. I believe this is a one-off.”
All in all, the 48-year-old chalked up his team’s lack of effort to them feeling “deflated” after the Kings took a three-goal lead.
“I feel our team’s been battling all year. We were a little deflated, I think. Down three, it’s a big mountain to climb against that team,” St. Louis explained. “If we scored an early one in the third, it could’ve been a different story.”
As for the fans, who continue to pay some of the highest ticket prices in the league despite the Habs finishing near the bottom of the NHL standings for the past two seasons, St. Louis said he understands their frustration.
“I understand their feeling. We do everything we can to not have [the fans] feel that in a game,” the Laval native added. “And we’ll keep pushing.”
Sitting in sixth in the Atlantic Division with a record of 11-12-3, the Canadiens will try to add to their win column when they face the Buffalo Sabres on the road this Saturday at 7.
If they suffer another regulation loss, the Sabres, who currently rank seventh in the Atlantic, can pass them in the standings.