Muse sees Penguins’ defensive work ahead; St. Louis faults puck decisions

Dan Muse said Pittsburgh had defensive mistakes to correct after its 6–5 overtime win over Montreal on October 3. Martin St. Louis blamed individual puck decisions for the Canadiens’ second-period problems.

“There’s more things to clean up after tonight for sure,” Muse said when asked whether the late goals concerned him more than the overall performance pleased him.

Muse’s concerns extended beyond the final minutes. He pointed to breakaways and important early saves by Arturs Silovs, while crediting Pittsburgh’s quality offensive chances and contributions throughout the lineup.

Montreal erased a 5–1 deficit, with Chris Kreider and Ivan Demidov scoring in the final 1:08 of regulation. Tommy Novak’s second goal, at 1:33 of overtime, gave Pittsburgh the win.

Muse said the Penguins stayed with the game despite the disappointment of the late equalizer. He praised Novak’s line for generating chances and credited Chinakhov’s drive to the net even though that play’s goal was disallowed.

“I’m confident that this group will work to correct those things,” Muse said.

St. Louis liked Montreal’s opening minutes but said its second period undermined that start.

“We shot ourselves in the foot,” St. Louis said, translated from French.

Asked what he meant, St. Louis identified individual mistakes with the puck and decisions he considered stubborn. He wanted simpler play and more work deep in the offensive zone.

He praised the Canadiens’ third-period fight and welcomed the standings point from reaching overtime.

“I don’t think we deserved two [points],” St. Louis said, translated from French.

St. Louis was also asked whether he had considered changing goaltenders after two periods. He said the staff discussed the question and decided to stay as they were. Jakub Dobes finished with 24 saves.

Final score, statistics and game updates: Canadiens at Penguins, October 3.

Source note: This report uses the complete available caption transcripts of Pittsburgh’s Dan Muse interview (7:43) and Montreal’s Martin St. Louis clip (1:52). St. Louis’s remarks were translated from French. The short Montreal clip does not establish that the full press conference is included. Sidney Crosby’s postgame comments are not included in the interviews reviewed for this report.