Jim Montgomery’s Blues head coaching tenure started off on a high note.
Montgomery led St. Louis to a win over the New York Rangers on Monday night less than a week after he was dismissed by the Boston Bruins. Facing a deadlock entering the third period, the Blues netted three unanswered third-period goals to notch a 5-2 victory at Madison Square Garden.
The 2022-23 Jack Adams Award winner liked what he saw from his new team Monday, but he stressed a clear message to avoid complacency.
“Hey, great job. I mean, man, was that fun to watch,” Montgomery said, per a team-provided video. “You know what I liked best? The sacrifices, blocked shots. The end of the second period, we stuck together. They were six, we were six. They were seven, we were eight. That’s the way you play for each other. That was fun to watch. Great display offensively, great work coming back. We have work to do. It’s a great start, though. That’s all it is — a start. We got a lot of work to do. We’re gonna be a good hockey team.”
Both the Bruins and the Blues seemed to gain jolts from their coaching changes. Boston will go for its third straight win under interim head coach Joe Sacco on Tuesday when it hosts the Vancouver Canucks. St. Louis, meanwhile, will go for two in a row with Montgomery on the bench Wednesday when it visits the New Jersey Devils.
