Petry: ‘We have a big challenge ahead of us’

BROSSARD – The Canadiens practiced at the Bell Sports Complex on Sunday.

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After the on-ice session, forward Josh Anderson and defenseman Jeff Petry spoke with reporters via Zoom.

They were followed by interim head coach Dominique Ducharme.

Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:

Anderson on staying positive after dropping the first three games to the Lightning:

We’re here for a reason. Obviously, we’ve dug ourselves a little bit of a hole here. But, we have a job to do and we’re going to do everything we can to stay in this thing and fly out to Tampa on Tuesday. Everyone is just getting prepared for Game 4. We’re all going to compete, work hard and put a full effort in.

Video: Anderson and Petry on preparing for Game 4

Anderson on the unique ability of this Canadiens team to handle adversity:

All the guys in this locker room, the management, the staff, the players, it’s a family. It’s a bond. The guys have been through a lot during this year, and we’ve been through it together. We’ve stuck together and we’ve made it this far. We’ve got one more job to do, and that’s all to come together and just take it one game at a time and keep chipping away. Hopefully, we’ll have success and the bounces are going to start going our way.

Petry on the mood among the players under the circumstances:

We wanted to come in and make sure the mood is light, have a positive attitude, still have fun coming into this rink and not hang our heads. We have a big challenge ahead of us. We’ve had a challenging year all year. Just to come in and enjoy it every day has been the message. I think everyone is in good spirits.

Petry on the motivation to avoid seeing the Lightning raise the Stanley Cup on Bell Centre ice:

We don’t want to see the Lightning win the Stanley Cup at all. You’re not going to win four games by winning one. Our goal is to win Game 4 and deal with flying out and preparing for a game in Tampa when that time comes. Our focus is to make sure that we play the right way, a strong and hard game, and win Game 4.

Ducharme on building momentum going forward:

We’ve experienced a similar situation before. We all remember being down 3-1 in the first-round series against Toronto, and we got ourselves in trouble in a similar manner. But, we also found a path to success at some point, too.

Video: Ducharme on the character on the team

Ducharme on embracing the magnitude of the moment:

We know the things we need to improve, and we’ve managed to do that before. Tampa Bay deserves credit. They’ve made it tough on us. But, we’re aware of the adjustments that need to be made. We know the effect that can have on a game. There are 29 other teams that aren’t playing anymore. Those cities would all love to still see hockey being played. We’re still alive, and we’ll make the most of the chance we have in front of us.