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Therrien thinks lopsided Game 1 loss is a ‘good lesson’ for the Habs

Michel Therrien

Montreal Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien speaks to the media after the team’s practice Wednesday, May 7, 2014 in Brossard, Quebec. The Montreal Canadiens play the Boston Bruins in game four of round two of the Stanley Cup Playoffs Thursday, May 8, 2014 in Montreal. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

AP

The New York Rangers put on an outstanding passing display and often looked significantly faster than the Montreal Canadiens in throttling them 7-2 in Game 1 on Saturday. Habs head coach Michel Therrien hopes this is a wake-up call for his team.

He also believes that the Canadiens came into this series with maybe a little too much confidence after beating their historic rivals (and this season’s Presidents’ Trophy winners) the Boston Bruins.

As it turns out, it’s been quite some time since the Rangers have been on this sort of hot streak in the postseason.

During that high-pressure streak, the Rangers have outscored their opponents 17-5.

If a 7-2 loss in a conference finals game against a red-hot team that has been especially difficult to put away in these playoffs isn’t enough to get the Canadiens focused again, then it’s hard to imagine what would do the trick.

“You never want to lose a game, but it’s going to bring us to get back unhurt and make sure that we as a group have to be
ready to compete and ready to play every night if we want to have a chance to win,” Therrien said. “So we’ve put that game behind us. We’re going to move forward, but that’s a good lesson.”

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