The Canadiens have five points after five games, but their coach believes the team is making progress. From defensive-zone coverage to neutral-zone pressure, St-Louis is trying to correct weaknesses that have affected Montreal in recent seasons. The question is whether these improvements will translate into more wins.

Following Montreal’s 1-0 shootout victory over the Detroit Red Wings, St-Louis explained that the Canadiens are making progress in several areas they targeted during the offseason.

His comments were particularly interesting because he wasn’t simply talking about effort, compete level or the team’s ability to win close games. He was discussing specific aspects of the Canadiens’ defensive play and the adjustments they have made since last season.

The message from St-Louis is clear: the Canadiens might not have all the results they want yet, but he believes they are improving in the areas that matter.

As a coach, that’s an important distinction. A team’s record tells us what has happened. The way a team executes its systems can tell us something about where it is heading.

And when we examine St-Louis’s comments more closely, there are several interesting developments worth discussing.

1. Preventing Controlled Entries: The Defensive Work Starts Before the Blue Line

One of the most revealing comments from St-Louis concerned the Canadiens’ ability to prevent opposing teams from entering their defensive zone with control of the puck.

“For one, we give up fewer controlled entries, so that helps a lot,” St-Louis explained.

That might sound like a small tactical detail, but it can have a significant impact on how a team defends.

When an opposing team approaches the offensive blue line, it can either carry the puck into the zone with control or dump it behind the defense and attempt to retrieve it.

Those two situations create very different defensive challenges.

When an opponent enters with possession, its forwards can maintain their speed, establish offensive positioning and look for passing options. The defending team must immediately deal with an organized attack.

A dump-in, on the other hand, gives the defending team an opportunity to retrieve the puck, win a battle along the boards and potentially transition into offense.

Of course, a dump-in does not automatically mean the defense has won the battle. A fast forecheck can still create turnovers and scoring chances. But forcing an opponent to give up possession at the blue line can make it more difficult to establish a controlled offensive attack.

This is where the Canadiens are trying to improve: challenging the opposition earlier instead of simply allowing it to enter the defensive zone.

St-Louis has discussed moving up the blue line to attack opposing entries in the neutral zone.

In practical terms, the Canadiens want to make it more difficult for opposing forwards to cross the blue line with speed and possession. That requires the forwards and defensemen to work together, manage their gaps and recognize when to challenge the puck carrier.

The defensemen must maintain appropriate spacing, while the forwards need to apply pressure and support the play. If one player challenges too aggressively without support, the opposition can exploit the space behind him.

It’s a matter of pressure, positioning and timing.

The objective is not necessarily to create more hits or make every entry a physical confrontation. It’s to disrupt the opponent’s attack before it becomes dangerous.

And there’s a good reason to focus on this area.

The earlier Montreal can disrupt an opposing attack, the less work its defensemen and goaltender may have to do closer to the net.

This is one of the first signs St-Louis has identified that suggests the Canadiens are progressing toward their defensive objectives.

2. Protecting the Slot: Knowing When to Leave Your Man

The second adjustment St-Louis discussed is even more interesting from a coaching perspective.

He believes the Canadiens are doing a better job recognizing when they need to leave their individual defensive assignments to protect the slot.

To understand why that matters, we need to look at how Montreal defends in its own zone.

St-Louis has used a defensive approach built around man-to-man responsibilities. Players must identify their assignments, stay connected to their opponents and prevent them from receiving the puck in dangerous positions.

But man-to-man coverage has a potential weakness.

If every player concentrates exclusively on his assigned opponent, the team can lose sight of the most dangerous area on the ice: the slot.

The slot is where opponents can generate high-quality scoring chances, particularly when they receive a pass in front of the net or get a second opportunity after a rebound.

Imagine a situation in which a Montreal defender is responsible for an opposing forward near the boards. Meanwhile, the puck moves toward the middle of the ice, and another opponent begins moving into the slot.

Should the defender stay with his original assignment, or should he leave that player to help protect the middle?

There isn’t one answer for every situation. The decision depends on the puck’s location, the positioning of the other defenders and the responsibilities of the forwards.

But the defender must recognize the danger and react at the right moment.

If he stays with his assignment when a teammate needs help, Montreal could leave a dangerous passing lane open. If he abandons his assignment too early, he could give another opponent an uncontested opportunity elsewhere.

The entire defensive unit must recognize the situation and adjust together.

This is what makes St-Louis’s next comment so revealing.

He explained that the Canadiens are getting better at recognizing when to move away from their man-to-man responsibilities and protect the slot. He described that recognition as having a better “alarm.”

From a coaching perspective, that’s an important detail.

A defensive system isn’t just about telling players where to position themselves. Players must also recognize when the situation has changed and when they need to make a different decision.

St-Louis wants his players to recognize danger sooner, help each other more effectively and prevent the opposition from exploiting openings in front of the net.

That doesn’t mean abandoning man-to-man coverage. It means understanding when the team must adjust its coverage to protect the most dangerous area of the ice.

And if Montreal is executing those adjustments more consistently, it could help explain why St-Louis is encouraged by the team’s defensive progress.

3. Is St-Louis Returning to a Defensive Approach He Couldn’t Fully Implement Two Years Ago?

This is where the story becomes particularly interesting.

According to the reporting surrounding St-Louis’s comments, the Canadiens previously struggled to execute aspects of his hybrid defensive-zone approach.

The system required players to combine man-to-man coverage with the ability to recognize when they needed to leave their assignments and help protect dangerous areas.

The concept made sense, but the execution wasn’t always there.

Two seasons ago, St-Louis defended his approach when it came under criticism. He argued that many NHL teams played a similar style.

However, the Canadiens subsequently simplified their defensive structure and moved toward a more straightforward man-to-man approach.

Montreal then made a late-season push to reach the playoffs, and the defensive adjustment was viewed as an important factor in that improvement.

Now, some of St-Louis’s latest comments suggest that the Canadiens are becoming more effective at executing the principles he wanted to establish in the first place.

That doesn’t necessarily mean he has completely changed the defensive system again. His comments don’t establish that.

But they do suggest that Montreal is improving its ability to combine individual defensive responsibilities with collective coverage of the slot.

And there’s a significant difference between abandoning a system because players struggle to execute it and revisiting its principles after players have developed a better understanding of their responsibilities.

The question is whether the Canadiens are finally developing the defensive awareness required to execute St-Louis’s approach consistently.

If players can recognize when to maintain their assignments and when to help a teammate, Montreal can defend the slot without automatically sacrificing coverage elsewhere.

That requires communication, anticipation and trust.

It also requires players to understand not just their own responsibilities, but how their decisions affect the other four skaters.

A defenseman cannot simply decide to leave his man without considering what his teammates are doing. A forward must recognize when to support the defense and when to remain responsible for an opponent.

When all five skaters read the play correctly, the team can close down space and make it much more difficult for the opposition to create a dangerous opportunity.

When one player reacts too late, however, the entire structure can break down.

That’s why the execution of a defensive system is just as important as the system itself.

And it’s one of the reasons I find St-Louis’s comments more interesting than a simple statement that he is happy with the team’s start.

4. The Numbers Suggest Improvement, but the Sample Is Still Small

There is also some early statistical evidence supporting St-Louis’s optimism.

According to Natural Stat Trick, Montreal allowed 2.85 expected goals against per 60 minutes at five-on-five last season, ranking seventh-worst in the NHL.

Through its first five games this season, that figure had fallen to 2.64, placing Montreal 17th in the league.

That’s an encouraging improvement.

Expected goals against estimates the quality and quantity of scoring opportunities a team concedes. It helps us evaluate defensive performance beyond the final score or the number of goals that actually go into the net.

A team can concede few goals because its goaltender makes outstanding saves. Conversely, a team can defend reasonably well and still concede goals on difficult shots.

Expected goals provide another way to evaluate the quality of the chances opponents are generating.

For Montreal, the early numbers suggest that its opponents have been generating a lower expected-goals total at five-on-five than they did last season.

That would be consistent with St-Louis’s comments about preventing controlled entries and doing a better job protecting the slot.

However, there is an important qualification.

Five games represent a very small sample. The Canadiens will need to sustain this improvement over a much longer stretch before we can conclude that they have become a significantly better defensive team.

Their opponents, the game situations and the quality of the chances they concede will all influence those numbers.

Still, the early direction is encouraging.

The important question isn’t whether Montreal has solved its defensive problems after five games. It’s whether the team is consistently making the adjustments that should help solve them.

If the Canadiens continue to limit controlled entries, protect the slot and reduce dangerous scoring chances, the statistical improvement will become more meaningful.

And if they can do that against a wider range of opponents, St-Louis will have stronger evidence that his defensive approach is working.

5. The Biggest Remaining Concern: Special Teams

While St-Louis is encouraged by Montreal’s five-on-five play, he has also acknowledged that the team’s special teams need work. Montreal’s power play ranks last in the NHL at just 5.9%, while its penalty kill sits 21st in the league at 76.2%. Those figures highlight a significant weakness: the Canadiens are struggling to capitalize on their power-play opportunities while also allowing opponents to convert too frequently on the man advantage.

His message was straightforward: if the Canadiens can get their special teams in order and maintain their current five-on-five play, things should look promising.

That tells us something important about how he views the team’s progress.

He isn’t suggesting that Montreal has reached its objectives. He’s identifying an area where improvement is still necessary.

Special teams can have an enormous influence on the outcome of close games.

The power play must take advantage of opportunities to score with a numerical advantage. The penalty kill must prevent the opposition from doing the same.

If either unit struggles, it can undermine otherwise solid five-on-five performances.

Consider the Canadiens’ 1-0 victory over Detroit. Montreal ultimately won the game in a shootout, but the result alone doesn’t tell us everything about the team’s overall performance.

The team must be able to produce offense on the power play, defend effectively while shorthanded and maintain its structure at five-on-five.

Those are different situations, each requiring its own tactical adjustments.

The power play depends on puck movement, player positioning, creating passing lanes and generating quality shots. The penalty kill requires pressure on the puck, effective lane coverage, disciplined positioning and the ability to clear rebounds and loose pucks.

The solutions are not necessarily the same.

But both units need to become more effective if Montreal wants to turn its improved five-on-five play into a more consistent winning record.

For St-Louis, defensive progress at five-on-five is encouraging, but it won’t be enough if special teams continue to cost the Canadiens opportunities to win games.

That’s an important distinction when evaluating his comments.

He’s satisfied with the direction of certain aspects of the team’s play, not claiming that the Canadiens have already corrected every weakness.

6. Learning From Mistakes: The Pittsburgh Game as a Turning Point

St-Louis also referred to Montreal’s second period against Pittsburgh as a learning experience.

The Canadiens surrendered four goals in that period before eventually losing 6-5 in overtime.

For a coach, a period like that can expose weaknesses that might not be as obvious during a victory.

It can reveal problems with defensive positioning, puck management, communication, coverage or the ability to respond when an opponent applies sustained pressure.

However, we shouldn’t assume that all those problems occurred in that particular period without examining the individual goals and video.

What we do know is that St-Louis considered it the team’s worst period of the young season and believed the Canadiens had matured from the experience.

That is an important part of the development process.

A team doesn’t improve simply because its players understand that they made mistakes. It improves when players recognize what went wrong, understand their responsibilities and make better decisions the next time similar situations arise.

The real test is whether those lessons show up in subsequent games.

Against Detroit, Montreal won 1-0 in a shootout. St-Louis also praised the team’s second period, describing it as solid.

That doesn’t prove the Canadiens have solved their defensive problems, but it illustrates the kind of progress he wants to see: fewer breakdowns, better execution and an ability to manage the game more effectively.

The Pittsburgh game may have exposed some of the problems Montreal needed to address. The challenge now is to demonstrate that the team has learned from them.

For a young team trying to establish itself, that process matters.

Players must learn how to respond when the opposition gains momentum, how to protect a lead, how to manage difficult stretches and how to maintain their structure under pressure.

Those lessons are not always reflected in the standings immediately.

But if the Canadiens are genuinely becoming more disciplined and consistent in their defensive play, the benefits should eventually become visible in their results.

7. The Big Picture: Are the Canadiens Getting Better, or Is It Too Early to Tell?

After five games, the Canadiens have five points. Their record is respectable, but it doesn’t tell us whether the team has made meaningful progress.

St-Louis’s comments provide a more detailed picture of what the coaching staff is evaluating.

The Canadiens are trying to prevent more controlled entries, protect the slot more effectively and improve their defensive awareness. The early expected-goals numbers suggest some progress, although the sample is too small to draw firm conclusions.

At the same time, special teams remain an area of concern.

That leaves us with two questions.

First, are the Canadiens executing their defensive responsibilities better than they did last season?

Second, can they maintain those improvements long enough to turn them into more victories?

Those questions are particularly important because defensive improvements aren’t always immediately reflected in the standings.

A team can play a solid defensive game and still lose because of an outstanding performance by the opposing goaltender, a mistake at a crucial moment or an inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities.

Likewise, a team can win despite allowing too many dangerous chances.

That’s why evaluating the Canadiens requires looking beyond the final score.

St-Louis appears to believe that the team is moving in the right direction, particularly at five-on-five. His comments suggest that the coaching staff is seeing improvements in specific areas of the game that were targeted during the offseason.

But the players must continue to execute, and the special teams must improve.

Five games are not enough to declare that Montreal has become a significantly better team. They are enough to identify some encouraging signs and establish what we should be watching in the games ahead.

For now, the Canadiens have reasons to be optimistic, but they also have work to do.

And that’s precisely what makes the next stretch of games so important.

Final Thought

Martin St-Louis isn’t simply asking his players to work harder. He’s asking them to recognize situations earlier, make better defensive decisions and execute their responsibilities more consistently.

Preventing controlled entries, protecting the slot and knowing when to help a teammate are all parts of that process.

The Canadiens appear to be making progress in those areas, but the real test is whether they can sustain it.

The record after five games is one thing. The quality of the hockey they’re playing is another. The challenge for Montreal is to make sure the improvement St-Louis sees on the ice eventually shows up in the standings.

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