Spencer Martin

Martin St. Louis made a surprising decision before puck drop, and naturally everyone had an opinion within minutes. That is the life of a coach in Montreal, where every lineup choice gets treated like a referendum on the whole operation. The fans are divided because the stakes are high and the margin for a wrong read is almost nonexistent.

Martin St. Louis and Ivan Demidov are dealing with another dose of frustration, and the timing makes it sting even more. The details remain thin, but this is the kind of setback that forces a coach and front office to start recalculating fast. When a young player and a demanding bench boss are both in the spotlight, every small development turns into a bigger conversation about what comes next.

Martin St. Louis gave Buffalo its due after a Game 6 performance that clearly left an impression. Coaches do not hand out praise casually this time of year, especially when the other bench dictated enough of the game to earn notice. That kind of postgame respect usually means the details on the ice were impossible to ignore.

Martin St. Louis has turned the Canadiens into a team that looks more organized, more dangerous, and a lot harder to dismiss. The impact is showing up in the kind of ways that matter inside a dressing room, where structure and confidence usually travel together. Montreal’s success is not just about talent; it is about a coach giving a young group a clearer map and making them believe in it. In this league, that kind of buy-in can age into something much bigger than a hot stretch.

Martin St. Louis is still finding the right levers behind the Canadiens’ bench, and the room is starting to buy in. That matters, because belief in this league is usually the first thing to disappear when a team starts wobbling. Montreal’s energy around this stretch suggests the message is landing, even if the standings are still doing their best to keep everybody humble. When a team starts trusting the coach’s buttons, the next test is whether it can keep that edge when the games get heavier.

Martin St-Louis showed he was willing to ride with Jakub Dobeš when the pressure ratcheted up, and that kind of faith is never just about one game. In the playoffs, coaches do not hand out confidence like free popcorn, so when a goalie gets that nod, the whole bench feels it. Game 5 became a referendum on trust, and the Canadiens' behind-the-scenes conviction mattered as much as anything that showed up on the scoreboard.