The Canadiens are buying-in to improved defensive systems – and the results are good

The Montreal Canadiens got off to another putrid start, and some thought the club would again finish near the bottom of the standings for a fourth straight season.

But the Habs have looked better in the last few weeks, going 8-2-0 in their last 10 games and are now 19-18-3 with 41 points, tied for fifth in the Atlantic Division and just two points back of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk are joined by former QMJHL coach Jon Goyens for another edition of Coaches Room to discuss the Canadiens’ recent stretch of wins and what they’re doing better defensively.

Tyler Yaremchuk: I want to start by zeroing in on how the Canadiens are defending: what areas are you able to pinpoint that have led to better team defense?

Jon Goyens: There’s a lot of people saying they changed this and that, and they’re just throwing all sorts of crap out there. The reality is that they spend nine seconds less in their zone through this stretch: that’s it. Martin St. Louis is big on concepts, and he’s talked about it offensively and defensively. Now the structure part is solidified, and the concept of everyone buying in and doing their job away from the puck.

First thing: you got numbers and support versus the rush. You’ve got details of concepts being executed at a consistent rate. And I’ve been really trying to play around with a nickname for the Jake Evans line, and recently I called them the “dream line,” because they’re a coach’s dream. They can go out there against anybody in the league, and they’re consistently a pain in the ass to play against, and they can chip away offensively.

Those are the three main elements: the numbers, the concepts, and the “dream line.”

You can watch the full segment and the rest of the episode here…