Joel_Armia

BROSSARD - The Canadiens skated at the Bell Sports Complex ahead of Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Lightning.

SHOP: CHic Playoff Line
After the on-ice session, defenseman Ben Chiarot, forward Tyler Toffoli and interim head coach Dominique Ducharme spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Chiarot on Ducharme rejoining the group after his COVID-19 quarantine was officially over:
It's nice to get your head coach back and have a familiar voice back leading the meetings and on the ice kind of directing the ship. It's always nice having your head coach back.

Chiarot and Toffoli on Ducharme's return

Chiarot on establishing the Canadiens' style of play as the series continues:
We're kind of getting to it as we go along here. At the start of Game 1, it came out pretty fast out of the gate. As the series has gone along here, especially in Game 2, we've seen more of our game and getting more to the style that we've been playing all playoffs. You'll continue to see that as the series goes along and we get more comfortable playing against these guys.
Toffoli on what he appreciates most about Ducharme's coaching:
He expects a certain something from everybody. From when he took over, he did a good job of communicating with everybody. If things weren't going well, he'd pull you aside, and when we weren't playing well, he'd get on us. He's done a good job, he's really excited to be back, and hopefully we can get a win here tonight.
Toffoli on the Habs' approach to finally solving Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy:
We had some really good opportunities. He's one of the best goalies in the League. We just have to keep going. We got over 40 shots last game. We just need to keep getting to the net, getting in his face, and just score.
Ducharme on returning to work:
I'm really excited. I've been looking forward to this for a few days. When I was told that I could come back on July 2, I circled the date and I couldn't wait for it. I'm really happy to be here with the rest of the coaching staff, the players, and the rest of personnel too. I'm ready to continue the fight.

Ducharme on rejoining the team in person

Ducharme on the Quebec public health authorities' decision to not allow more than 3,500 fans into the Bell Centre:
It's disappointing. It could've been a way to reward people who've been double-vaccinated or an incentive to increase the number of people who get vaccinated. It could've been a way to reward our fans and people who've been isolated for 14 or 15 months. It's special to participate in an event like this. Unfortunately, we'll have 3,500 fans inside the building, and probably 25,000 fans outside the building who'll be glued to one another. It's tough to understand the logic.