The Montreal Canadiens have lost their last five games, but ironically, defenseman Kaiden Guhle believes the team has reached a milestone in its coming of age.

Defensively, it is day and night compared to the start of the season, he argues.

“I spoke to our defender coach about it. [Stéphane Robidas] a month ago, said the rookie after Saturday morning practice. It shows how much better the team is playing than earlier this season, before my injury. Our game is more complete. We have a bond on the ice. That’s nice to look at.”

“The foundation of hockey is defense,” said Quebec forward Alex Belzile. In a game you might have the puck for 30 or 45 seconds if you spend 15 minutes on the ice. The rest of the time it depends on how you play without the puck. […] We give ourselves the chance to win in every game.”

Despite recent losses to the Golden Knights, Carolina Hurricanes and New York Rangers, CH have lost each of those games to strong teams by just one goal.

“We believe that we can keep up with these teams,” said Guhle. They play hockey to compete in these types of games against the best. Those are the funniest encounters.”

Belzile hasn’t changed anything

Belzile is on fire with three goals in his last three games and assures that he has changed absolutely nothing about his game.

“Ever since I was a junior, my coach has told me that it’s positive when you have a chance to score. If you keep doing this, it will surely come back at some point. I am committed to this approach. I am an eternal optimist.”