In the player room: "If we play like this most nights, everything will be fine"

The Canadians suffered their fifth consecutive loss Tuesday, but the mood in the Canadiens' locker room after the 2-1 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes could be described as positive.

It started with the return of defenseman Shea Weber, who dressed for the first time since December 16, 2017. Most of the discussions that preceded the match focused on simplicity, but once the game was started, he was where he was. for the essence of his career.

He was on the ice for 25:19 and his shifts lasted an average of one minute. Most players who stay on the ice as long deserve a reprimand from coaches, but that is Weber and Canadians need everything they can get from Weber.

The fans recognized his value for the team as they cheered him when he got on the ice for his first shift. Coach Claude Julien sent the duo of Weber and David Schlemko in the third quarter of the match, but nothing says that it's about the No. 3 pair. Schlemko did not played only 20:53, but that's partly because he has reduced his working time.

"The crowd has responded very well," said Weber. "I was a little nervous before the game and the legs were a bit tight, but it improved as the game progressed."

"He played a very good game for a guy who has not played for more than a year," Schlemko said. "If we play like this most nights, everything will be fine. He is very physically present and this makes him easy to play. "

The big question that led to this game was choosing a partner for Weber. Schlemko got the first job, but Julien suggested that the role was still up for grabs.

"We understand that we do not necessarily have the perfect player out there at the moment and that this is not a blow for Schlemko," said Julien. "It's more than other solutions. I thought he was fine. This duo did not have much trouble. But at the same time, we try to work and then see what will happen in the future. But in the end, we have some guys who can be a little more offensive, we are more defensive. You have to remember that these guys like Weby play against the best teams of other teams, which means that he's also playing with some of our best lines. So we need a good puck movement here with this group. "

On Monday, Julien suggested that Victor Mete take a look at this place. Mete was playing with Weber early last season, but he was in third pair with Jordie Benn on Tuesday and finished the game with a minus-2 score. He was on the ice for only 12:17. Benn, who was in the first pair with Jeff Petry for most of the season, played at 1:47 pm.

It was another disappointing night for the Canadiens power play, which should improve as Weber gets used to the other players in the first unit. The Canadians showed up empty during three power games and managed only three shots.

Carolina goalie Curtis McElhinney tied his career record with 48 saves. Montreal collected 22 of its 49 shots in the third period and was close to Phillip Danault's goal.

"Phil did a good job after a bad power play," said Brendan Gallagher. "Phil found a way to put a puck in the net, give us energy and we got a boost. We had some chances there at the end. (Max Domi) hit a post, he made a very good stop on a shot that I tipped. We had some web hits. We had a lot of chances with the goalkeeper. We just have to put the puck. "

Phickey@postmedia.com

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