"Martin St-Louis does not focus on the magnitude of the obstacle"

Figuring out that the Montreal Canadiens are a youthful squad can sometimes slip our minds. The Canadiens have a crew of players who seem unfazed by their current postseason situation. They've had numerous encounters where they've won series they appeared to lose, and this year is no exception.

Cole Caufield, one of the team's younger stars, jokingly remarked, "Nick is old!" when finding out that their captain and teammate Nick Suzuki is the oldest on the first power-play unit. Even though they're young in years, these players have maturity beyond their age on the ice.

Every player on the team seems to have aged 10 years more than their actual age, following the "hockey age" theory put forth by La Presse. Guhle, one of the team's younger defenders, admitted he's never been in a situation where he trailed in a series by 3 games to 1, due to a series of fortunate events throughout his career.

Coming from Prince Albert Raiders, Guhle won the WHL championship in his first playoff series in 2019, and the following two years were affected by the pandemic. The 2022 season saw him join the Canadiens, who missed the playoffs the previous two seasons. So, indeed, Guhle is experiencing a first in his eight-series career - facing elimination only once.

Leading 3-1 in a series can be an odd and tense situation. Despite having the upper hand, the other team typically plays with nothing to lose, as they know they need to win to stay alive. Guhle acknowledged this, expressing, "3-1 is a hard lead to keep. We have nothing to lose. We're just going to play each game like it's our last."

Historically, the Canadiens have only won 3 out of the 22 series in which they found themselves behind 1-3 (13.6%). On the other hand, the Capitals have lost only one out of the 10 series they led 3-1. It seems to be wiser to be wealthy, healthy, and leading 3-1, instead of being poor, sick, and losing 3-1, as claimed by Yvon Deschamps.

With a few key players under the weather, the Canadiens will go to Washington this Wednesday without all of their usual players. Apart from Guhle, Carrier, Montembeault, Savard, Anderson, and Gallagher missed practice, and their status is uncertain for the game. Wilson's hit on Carrier has highlighted the vulnerability of defensemen playing on their off-side, as the Quebecer was retrieving a puck from the left side of the rink when Wilson hit him.

St-Louis remained tight-lipped about potential lineup changes if Carrier can't play. "You don't replace a guy like that with just one player," he said. Guhle has started 11 games on the right side in October and November, and the Canadiens had a 3-6-2 record in those games. If called upon, Guhle assured, "If I have to play on the right, I will."

The Canadiens have managed to win 140-131 in faceoffs after four games, even though the Capitals have administered the most impactful hits. St-Louis trusts his players to manage the pressure from the Capitals' forwards well. Even though Carrier seemed to be targeted, whether he was or not remains unclear.

An unexpected event unfolded during practice, as St-Louis scolded his players for being insufficiently focused. Guhle seemed taken aback when asked if his coach had "really lost his cool." "I say a lot of F-words, it doesn't always mean I'm mad!" Guhle explained. "I've seen him do worse. You need that at this time of the year."

Beating one of the best teams in the NHL three times in a row may appear audacious, but this team knows that a win on Wednesday would give them another vital game in the electrifying atmosphere of the Bell Centre, the ideal setting to make their opponents question themselves. "We don't look at the mountain," St-Louis reassured. "We look at one game, and I know we have a team capable of winning a game on the road."

Despite their youth in age, the Montreal Canadiens' players exhibit maturity beyond their years on the ice, reminiscent of veterans in sports hockey.
With a first-hand experience of playoff success, young defenseman Guhle is gearing up to face elimination for the first time in his eight-series career, having joined the Canadiens this season after missing the playoffs for two consecutive years.
Given the historical chances of overcoming a 3-1 deficit in the NHL, the Canadiens have a challenging task ahead, having only won three out of 22 series in such a situation.
As they prepare for Game 5 against the Capitals, the Canadiens have experienced a setback with several key players missing practice due to illness, which could potentially lead to changes in their lineup, especially on the right side, where Guhle has started a significant number of games.