(Dallas) Was it a significant victory? Either way, it felt like an important victory.
Arriving in front of the Canadian’s locker room at the end of the evening, the party was taking place in the place, to the sound of the classic Black Eyed Peas that we know. Then, it was the entire management, from Jeff Gorton to Kent Hughes, who chose to arrive in the area, to the sound of slaps on the back and bursts of laughter.
What will it be like if this team wins a series? The Canadian is not there yet, but in the meantime, there are obviously no small victories.
“It’s a big win for us,” said captain Nick Suzuki. They have a good team and it’s good to be able to go home with a win. »
For this club, it is good, indeed, because this end of the trip will have been like the Canadian this season: capable of the good, capable of the less good.
The worst, we had seen in the three previous meetings, including a two-goal lead lost in Tampa, and a clear defeat against the Panthers at Sunrise.
But it finally ended, and in the end, the Canadian can conclude this trip with a collection of 7 points out of a possible 14.
“We played a good game following the plan on the road. It’s not the first time on the trip that we’ve played like that. We played 7 games and finished with a .500 record. If you look at the schedule, the amphitheaters where we played, I’m proud of the guys,” added the coach.
With joy, and despite concerns following the premature departure of Josh Anderson towards the locker room, the Canadian can still return to Montreal with the feeling of having grown up a little. This is undoubtedly the case, among others, of Juraj Slafkovsky, who indeed seems to grow as a player every evening and who served a very talented pass to Nick Suzuki on the Canadian’s first goal. “It’s part of my journey, and I feel more and more that I’m getting better,” the young striker explained.
From this long journey, this is undoubtedly what we will remember: through the ups and downs, this club seems to be heading somewhere. Where ? This part is not yet clear, but at least there is something that resembles a form of progress.
“Every good club we face is going to fight until the end,” noted defender Jordan Harris. We saw it against Tampa the other night: they were down 0-2 and they came back into the game. We are learning and we will also learn to know how to close the books when necessary. »
If we compare with the trip on the same dates a year ago, the one with the six defeats in a row to finish, this one looks like something of a great success. It was worth a few bars of I Gotta Feeling.