Slacking off in the second half: a very bad habit that’s making a comeback

Mathis Therrien
Slacking off in the second half: a very bad habit that’s making a comeback
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

The Montreal Canadiens can count themselves lucky to have picked up a point last night against the Pittsburgh Penguins in that 6-5 overtime loss.

The Habs' talent allowed the team to get back into the game by erasing a four-goal deficit, but it will take more than just talent to win games this season.

The Habs players completely fell asleep in the second period, playing lackluster, uninspired hockey—and that's not due to a lack of talent, but to a lack of discipline.

Shift after shift, Martin St-Louis's squad simply watched as the opponent had a field day and did whatever it wanted on the ice.

It's not normal for the Habs to have fallen asleep like that without ever pulling themselves together for nearly 20 minutes.

It's a bad habit that cost the Habs dearly last season, and now it seems to be back again.

That won't work again this season, as the Habs won't always be able to rely on their talent to come from behind in the third period.

Last season, the Canadiens set a franchise record with 25 come-from-behind wins—a testament to their character, but also a reflection of how often the team found itself in a losing position.

There's no guarantee of such success this season, so the Habs have no choice but to break this bad habit.

Yesterday's loss will clearly give everyone a chance to bounce back, as it was evident that the players were frustrated, disappointed, and aware that such a second period is unacceptable.

“We can't let them do that. We fell asleep—that's unacceptable. A second period like that can't happen.” – Juraj Slafkovsky

Losing in overtime despite the comeback is probably the best thing that could have happened to the Habs, since it's a point in the standings—and also a good lesson that talent clearly doesn't solve everything.

The Habs almost managed to get away with it last night, but they wouldn't even have needed to save their own skin if they'd simply kept playing in the second period, rather than completely falling apart.

In short, this is a problem that needs to be addressed—and as soon as possible—to avoid more dreadful performances like this one, which won't all end with a near-comeback.

For more on this, I'll refer you to Eric Engels' excellent article right here.


In a Nutshell

– Very cool.

– The top 10 from the Bahrain Grand Prix.

– Too bad.

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