Nick Suzuki Candid with Media About Canadiens’ Slow Starts

Following his team’s 5-4 overtime loss to the Detroit Red Wings last night, Montreal Canadiens’ captain Nick Suzuki admitted to the media: “We didn’t play well enough to win.” During his post-game interview (seen below), Suzuki candidly addressed reporters. He noted the team’s need for improvement and acknowledged the challenges the team faced during the game.

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Suzuki Believed His Team Worked Hard, But the First-Period Funk Was the Difference

Suzuki highlighted the team’s hard work. However, he admitted that his team’s subpar performance in the first period cost them the game. As he noted, “We have to claw back in the games, and it’s not where we want to be.” Obviously, by that comment, Suzuki was acknowledging the struggle teams face when they put themselves in a hole and have to try to dig themselves out. Last night, the Canadiens only got partway before sliding to another tough loss.

He was pretty candid. “We obviously fought back hard, but we gotta clean that up a lot.”

Related: Coach St. Louis on Canadiens’ Slafkovsky: Still Figuring It Out

The captain expressed disappointment with his team’s early mistakes, particularly the turnovers and gaffs at the blue line. Suzuki described the first period in two tough words – it was “really bad.” He also pointed out that, despite the team’s work to fight back, they had given the Red Wings a 20-minute head start. That makes winning so much more challenging.

The Canadiens Had Five Good Minutes to Start the Game, Then Problems

“I thought we had a pretty good first five minutes, and then just kept turning the puck over, making mistakes at their blue line,” Suzuki shared. “It was a bad first period from us, you know, like the fight of the game, but when you give a whole 20 minutes head start, it’s hard to win.”

Despite the loss, Suzuki admitted that the game was important because they salvaged a point in overtime. “The point’s big, it’s a big help. We obviously didn’t play well enough to win the game, but coming back and getting that point can help us,” Suzuki noted.

It’s a good (no pun intended) point. Every point counts in a competitive league like the NHL.

For Suzuki, the bottom line is that his team needs to improve. And, one of the best ways to do that is to learn from the mistakes they make in games. As he noted, it’s good to get a point, but a win is better.

Related: Canadiens Sign Sam Montembeault to 3-Yr Extension