A team meeting that “changed everything,” according to Kaiden Guhle

Jonathan Di Gregorio
A team meeting that “changed everything,” according to Kaiden Guhle
Credit: YouTube

The Canadiens have just had a good week, with two wins in three games.

Those two wins could have been three, had it not been for two costly mistakes against the Red Wings, even though the Habs didn't give their rivals much to work with in that game.

What stands out in these three games is the Habs' strong defensive performance; they played better in their own zone this week.

This improvement is likely linked to the team meeting the players held after last weekend's two losses in 24 hours against the Sharks and the Ducks

Two games in which the team let leads slip away against opponents who were, after all, very beatable.

Eric Angels shared Kaiden Guhle's comments as the players held a meeting and decided to buckle down.

That means better defensive commitment, more physical play, and not letting the opponent intimidate us (to not take any shit).

It's a clear message, but for a while now, these have indeed been three elements that were often missing from the Habs' play (before this week) and that were the direct cause of several losses.

And the message seems to have gotten through to the players, who have played better defensively, allowing seven goals (plus one into an empty net) to their opponents over three games.

If Montreal can limit opponents to an average of 2.3 goals per game, that's a major defensive improvement, and the team shouldn't lose many games with the NHL's sixth-best offense to back them up.

Toughness and physical play are also important, especially at this time of year when space on the ice shrinks and every game becomes a battle of attrition.

And playing physically isn't just about checking everything that moves, but winning one-on-one battles, defending the space in front of the net, etc., and that's another area where the entire Habs improved this week.

In fact, it's also part of “not letting yourself be intimidated” and the way the team will need to play in the playoffs if it hopes to succeed this spring.

Now, it remains to be seen whether the players will continue to put this message into practice in the coming weeks, as the team won't have much room for error and must absolutely avoid losing streaks between now and the end of the season.


In a nutshell

– The CF let it slip away.

– Indeed!

– Say cheese.

– It starts Friday.

– Patriots win.

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