Quotes of the day: Ducharme, Lehkonen & Allen

BROSSARD - The Canadiens practiced at the Bell Sports Complex on Wednesday morning before departing for Ottawa.

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Following the on-ice session, interim head coach Dominique Ducharme, forward Artturi Lehkonen and goaltender Jake Allen spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Ducharme on the health status and eventual return of right-winger Tyler Toffoli:
It won't be much longer. It's all part of his conditioning work. You aren't 100% when you get back on the ice. He's doing some strengthening work. It's part of the process. He'll need a few more days. He won't be in the lineup tomorrow. We think he'll be coming back at some point in the next few games.

Ducharme on Lehkonen's play:
We like his overall game. We like what he brings on the penalty kill. He has good speed and good habits. His stick is always on the puck. He has a good work ethic. He plays the right way. We see some potential offensively there. He's coming off a good game. At the same time, it's a question of confidence. I think that performance was positive for him.
Lehkonen on trade rumors with the deadline approaching:
It's part of the business. It's part of hockey. Every time I get on the ice, I'm just focusing on doing the best I can and trying to help the team. I'm just trying not to read anything. You can't really get into that stuff, otherwise it's going to be in your head. I'm just trying to focus on my playing.

Lehkonen on how being a healthy scratch at times has affected his confidence:
Of course it's been a challenge for my confidence. You always want to play, be in the lineup and play as much as you can. You spend a lot of time watching the game outside and it's not the easiest for your confidence, but of course if you get a goal or an assist, it helps.
Allen on working with the Canadiens' new director of goaltending, Sean Burke:
The message Burkie has really been preaching is just consistency within our game. Win or loss, good game or bad game, the game always looks the same. That's a huge point. I think sometimes if you go through a little bit of a struggle, a couple of losses, you might try to change things in your game that deep down really have worked for you in the past. He's been preaching just sticking with your structure, sticking with your game plan, and using our experience to our benefit. Carey's got a boatload of games, I've been in the League for a while, so it's just about staying consistent and mentally on top of it, especially during a mental grind of a season like this.

Allen on the challenge the Senators present over the next two games:
They're a good team. They play us hard. They're one of our biggest rivals. They have a lot of good, young players that bring it every single night. If we don't bring it, they bring it to us. We've seen that a couple of times this year already. We're going to have our hands full. We started well last night after that mini-break, and I thought we had good execution at practice today. We can't take any points for granted, especially right now with the situation we're in. Every point, every game is crucial.