‘I love playing here’: Canadiens’ Dach reacts to positive fan response in Game 3

A troubled former prospect is feeling the love from the home fans after a big postseason performance.

Following the Montreal Canadiens‘ 3-2 overtime win over the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Atlantic Division Semifinals, Canadiens forward Kirby Dach spoke with Sportsnet’s Kyle Bukauskas. He was asked about how he felt when the Bell Centre crowd gave him a great cheer during warmups, after he was wearing the goat horns following the team’s loss in the second game of the series.

“I love playing here. I love the fans,” Dach said. “They’ve stuck with me through a lot of hard years with injuries and stuff. So it’s nice to come home and have that support. Sometimes, you make a mistake and it’s kind of about how you answer. The playoffs is such a short memory you got to be able to come back next game and have your best game.”

Dach was heavily criticized for a couple of errors he made on Tuesday night, including getting beaten by Lightning defenseman J.J. Moser on the play that led to the overtime winner. Some even called for the 25-year-old to be scratched ahead of the crucial third game in Montreal. Yet, head coach Martin St. Louis kept him in the lineup, and the Albertan responded in a big way. Along with picking up an assist on Alexandre Texier’s goal in the first period, Dach found the back of the net himself in the second period to tie the game at two, the second goal of his postseason career.

The Fort Saskatchewan, Alb. native, who was named the game’s second star, stated he simply had to put Game 2 behind him, setting the stage for a much better outcome a few nights later.

“I think that the night after [Game 2], you kind of think about it and you feel shitty. But you just move on. I don’t think you have a choice. It’s the playoffs, you’ve got to be ready for the next game.”

Lane Hutson ended up scoring the winner for the Habs in overtime, giving the home side a 2-1 lead in the series. Montreal has the chance to push the Bolts to the brink of elimination in Game 4, scheduled for Sunday night.