04/25/26 01:19:00
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04/25 01:12 CDT Kirby Dach stars in Canadiens' Game 3 win after harsh online
criticism
Kirby Dach stars in Canadiens' Game 3 win after harsh online criticism
MONTREAL (AP) --- What a difference 72 hours made for Kirby Dach.
On Tuesday, the Montreal forward drew the ire of fans after an ill-timed icing
and a defensive lapse in overtime led to J.J. Moser's winning goal in a 3---2
Game 2 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
By Friday night in front of a roaring Bell Centre crowd, Dach flipped the
script, turning frustration into redemption with a goal and an assist in the
Canadiens' 3-2 overtime win that gave Montreal a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven
matchup.
"I think you take that night (Tuesday) and you kind of sit on it, dwell on it
and understand what you could have done better," Dach said. "Come Wednesday
morning, you've got to be able to move on and get ready for tonight's game."
The vitriol spewed online toward the Dach following the Game 2 loss, forcing
the 6-foot-4 center to delete his Instagram account.
Many Canadiens fans also took to social media and local sports talk radio phone
lines, calling for coach Martin St. Louis to scratch the forward in favor of
Joe Veleno or veteran Brendan Gallagher.
St. Louis wasn't having any of it.
"I'm not going to give up on a player unless he gives up on himself," St. Louis
said. "Kirby Dach is a really good hockey player. Like any good player, they
make mistakes sometimes at key moments. It happens to everyone. It happens to a
lot of good players. For sure, he was upset but that's not a reason to give up
on a player."
Canadiens fans in attendance on Friday were quick to shower the 25-year-old
player with love from the get-go. Dach was given a hearty ovation when shown on
the scoreboard during warm-ups, with fans chanting "Kir-by! Kir-by!" both
before and throughout the game.
"I didn't really expect it, so it was nice," Dach said. "The fans have been
unbelievable for us all year. For me, they've stuck by my side through a lot.
It definitely meant a lot."
Those chants only increased following Dach's assist on linemate Alexandre
Texier's opening goal early in the first period.
The applause reached a crescendo following confirmation of Dach's second-period
tally, a shot from inside the faceoff circle that bounced off Lightning
defenseman Ryan McDonagh and past goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy to tie it at 2.
The newly-formed line of Dach, Texier and Zachary Bolduc, playing together for
the first time all season, were on the ice for all three Canadiens goals,
including Lane Hutson's overtime score 2:09 into the extra session. The trio
finished the game with a combined six points and six of Montreal's 29 shots on
goal on the night.
It has been a trying season for the oft-injured Dach, having scored just eight
goals and 15 points across 37 games during the regular season. His offensive
output Friday marked Dach's first goal and first point at the Bell Centre since
Feb. 28. It was also the forward's first multi-point outing since Jan. 29.
"I've been through a lot on the injury front," Dach said. "I've gone through
the ups and downs of it and the learning lessons of what it takes and maybe
what works and what doesn't work. I've kind of found a recipe to be able to
stay in game shape and sharp in the mind mentally and physically be ready to go
when it's time to go."
Game 4 is Sunday in Montreal.
___
AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and
https://apnews.com/hub/nhl
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