Martin St-Louis had hinted before the campaign that he might be more demanding with his players this year and it’s already showing.

After two losses in which the Montreal Canadiens were guilty of decisions that demonstrated a lack of maturity within the young group, St-Louis expressed his dissatisfaction with his team’s play so far this season.

“I expect a higher floor this year and I’m not happy with our floor,” he said Friday, referring to the team’s level of play.

Veteran Brendan Gallagher acknowledged it was time to move from words to action.

“We’re talking about getting to a certain level, competing for a playoff spot. Now is the time to go out there and show that we can do it,” Gallagher said. “If you say those things, you’ve got to go out there and show it.

“We just played two home games against good teams, yes, but we were in positions where we could win those games even if we weren’t at our best and we didn’t. We have to understand that there are little details that are going to help us win. But if we played the way we’re capable of playing, it would make it a little easier.”

St-Louis has also been hammering home for a few days that there is no confusion associated with the tasks in the defensive zone, even if the team has conceded 17 goals in five games since the start of the campaign, including 10 in its last two outings.

“No matter what system you’re in, you’ve got to get all five guys to do the job,” St. Louis said. “If one guy doesn’t do his job, loses a stick, goes down, it’s going to create a hole in every system.

“I’m not worried about our structure. We just have to work out the details,” he added.

Defenseman Jayden Struble, who could make his season debut Saturday against the Islanders in New York after rehabbing an upper-body injury, echoed his coach.

“It’s all about effort and approach,” Struble said. “If the effort is there, everything usually falls into place. If you make a mistake, someone is going to be there to support you.”

Mailloux reinforcements
The Canadiens recalled defenseman Logan Mailloux from the Laval Rocket on Friday morning, while defensemen Kaiden Guhle and Mike Matheson did not participate in practice.

For his part, striker Juraj Slafkovsky left training after just over ten minutes, visibly suffering from discomfort in his left shoulder.

The team said Guhle is dealing with an upper-body injury and will be reassessed daily. Matheson, meanwhile, was enjoying a day of treatment.

Matheson will accompany his teammates to New York ahead of Saturday’s game against the Islanders, but Guhle will not.

Slafkovsky will also travel, although no update on his condition was immediately given.

Matheson played in the first period against the Los Angeles Kings on Thursday night but did not return to the bench after the first intermission. The team said only that he had an upper-body injury and would undergo further testing Friday morning.

The Pointe-Claire native had collected three assists in the first four games of the season and had been used on average 25:49 per game.

For his part, Guhle finished the game against the Kings, which the Canadiens lost 4-1. However, he fell awkwardly against the boards early in the second period, following a check from Adrian Kempe.

The 22-year-old Albertan has one goal and three assists in five games this season.

“He’s a player who’s difficult to replace. It’s going to be done by committee,” St-Louis said. “Some players will play more minutes.”

For his part, Mailloux has two goals and two assists in two games with the Rocket this month. He played his first game in the NHL last spring at the end of the season.

A first-round pick by the Canadiens in 2021, 31st overall, Mailloux had 14 goals and 33 assists in 72 games with the Rocket last season.