"Little bit awkard": Montreal Canadiens interim head coach Trevor Letowski on his first Habs win after Martin St. Louis' absence

By Arnab Mondal

Modified Mar 25, 2024 06:40 GMT

Trevor Letowski assumed the role of interim head coach for the Montreal Canadiens following the absence of Coach Martin St. Louis for family reasons. In his first win as coach, Letowski led the Canadiens to a 5-1 victory over the struggling Seattle Kraken.

Alex Newhook emerged as a standout performer, netting two goals in a commanding first period where the Montreal Canadiens secured a four-goal lead. Letowski, reflecting on the win, expressed mixed feelings due to the circumstances, acknowledging the collective effort of the team, stating:

"For me it's a little bit awkward just because of the circumstances; I feel like I was the guy, I guess, the head coach but it was a real group effort - that's why I feel a little uncomfortable about saying that's my 1st NHL win as a head coach."

Letowski emphasized the unity within the team during a challenging week, highlighting the dedication of both staff and players to maintain normalcy despite the absence of St.Louis. He remarked:

"It was a memorable week for me just because of the way the team rallied around each other and how the staff and players had to push a little extra to keep some kind of normalcy when we're missing our leader."

Cayden Primeau emerged as a key contributor, earning praise from Letowski for his performance throughout the game, with Letowski stating:

"He was our best player right from the start of the game."

Contributions from Kaiden Guhle and Nick Suzuki further propelled Montreal to victory, with Guhle registering a goal and two assists, and Suzuki notching a goal and an assist. Primeau made 36 saves.

Jordan Eberle scored the lone goal for Seattle, as goaltender Philipp Grubauer struggled, allowing four goals on six shots before being replaced by Joey Daccord. The win marked only the Montreal Canadiens' third victory in 10 games throughout March.

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Montreal Canadiens secure convincing win against Seattle Kraken: Game Recap

Kaiden Guhle opened the scoring at 4:18 of the first period with a one-timer from the top of the slot, deflecting off Jamie Oleksiak's stick. Alex Newhook extended Montreal's lead to 2-0 at 6:22, redirecting Guhle's shot past Philipp Grubauer.

Nick Suzuki added to the tally at 17:33, beating Grubauer's glove on a 2-on-1 with Cole Caufield. Just moments later, Newhook made 4-0 at 18:00 of the same period, capitalizing on a pass from Brendan Gallagher. Jordan Eberle responded for Seattle 56 seconds into the second period, making it 4-1 with a shot over Cayden Primeau's left shoulder.

Despite Seattle's efforts, a goal by Matty Beniers was disallowed due to offside. Mike Matheson made it 5-1 for the Montreal Canadiens with a short-handed goal at 13:16 of the second period.