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Habs voice support for struggling Vanek

Michel Therrien

Montreal Canadiens left wing Thomas Vanek takes part in the team’s practice Wednesday, May 21, 2014 in Brossard, Quebec. The Canadiens play the New York Rangers in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final of the Stanley Cup Playoffs on Thursday in New York. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Ryan Remiorz)

AP

Thomas Vanek seemed to be the major topic of conversation for the Montreal Canadiens today, as evidenced by the transcripts we received from the NHL.

Question for Brian Gionta: When you’re a captain, and a veteran guy like Vanek is struggling, do you need to go talk to the veteran guys like that as much as young guys?

BG: The thing with this room is everybody cares, so he wants to be a big part of this team, and he is a big part of this team. So, obviously, the first two games when you lose, things are more amplified than when you are winning. So we have confidence in everybody in this room and the way guys will respond.

Question for Max Pacioretty: It seems to be tough for Vanek right now, did you have a conversation with him...to help and find his game again?

MP: He’s a veteran. He doesn’t need that. He’s contributed to this team’s success in the playoffs. He knows it. We all talk. Behind closed doors we’re all having a good team and we all want to help this team win, and we all like where we stand right now with the team. He’s fine. He’s going to be fine. It seems there’s always got to be a story when you lose, and obviously, with the questions I’m being asked, that is the story right now. But he’s a tremendous player and he’s helped us a lot in these playoffs and he’ll continue to do that.

Question for coach Michel Therrien: On Thomas Vanek practicing with the fourth line, is that a demotion or is that an attempt to balance the lines now?

MT: Don’t read too much, okay. All right. Today, don’t read too much.

Too late, coach. We’re reading into it.

We wrote yesterday on Vanek, about how his performance in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Final led to a real skewering by the critics. The 30-year-old winger, a pending unrestricted free agent, does have five goals in the playoffs, but he’s been ineffective, to say the least, against the Rangers.

Yesterday, Therrien said that Vanek is “healthy,” but otherwise didn’t want to say too much.

“I’m not going to start talking about individual players because one of the reasons we’re in the conference final is that everyone’s contributed in their own way in the playoffs,” the coach said. “Thomas is a member of our team and he’s also made a contribution for us to reach the conference final.”

Related: Habs to start Tokarski again in Game 3