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Yesterday, the Canadiens bounced back. They played an excellent game in Buffalo.
In fact, instead of using the verb “bounce back,” one could have said that Martin St-Louis's team adapted. They put the emotional series against the Lightning behind them and advanced to the second round.
The Habs played the game the situation called for, and it paid off.
Martin St-Louis's men didn't let themselves be intimidated… Jakub Dobes was excellent… the defense contributed to the offense… the team scored goals by the bucketful…
In short, everything was going well.
It's worth noting that things got off to a good start in the locker room before the game. Alex Newhook fired up his teammates by reading the lineup, and the clip was shared on social media.
He had a good game himself, finding the back of the net twice.
Alex Newhook doing the Habs lineup read tonight
— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 9, 2026
But what got people talking the most was Martin St-Louis's speech.
We don't know what was said, but Jakub Dobes revealed that it was memorable. He'll remember it for the rest of his career, as he shared in an interview with Sportsnet.
Saw Martin St. Louis afterward and asked what he said
“Guess you had to be there,” he smiled https://t.co/bJ2xzKLbq6
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) May 9, 2026
I wonder what the coach, who doesn't want to open up about the subject, said…
We know St. Louis is a good motivator. He likes to give speeches to motivate his players at the right moments, and clearly, that's what happened yesterday.
Remember that he also delivered a great speech in February 2022, upon his arrival with the Canadiens. And clearly, between February 2022 and yesterday, there have surely been others.
Yesterday's speech came at the right time, in any case.
overtime
For the Canadiens, a day of travel is on the agenda. The team will be back home for the first time since leaving for Tampa Bay ahead of Game 7 last week.
There's a media session scheduled for around 10 a.m., but don't expect to see the guys on the ice.
