Instant Recap: Hutson And Kapanen Stand Out In Dominant Win

The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday, the first taste of preseason action at the Bell Centre this season. Like many teams in the NHL, the Canadiens held a 13-second moment of silence prior to puck drop for Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, which was a shared moment that was respectful and melancholic.

The Habs had a dominant night thanks to a great effort from their younger players, including Oliver Kapanen, Luke Tuch, Lane Hutson, Emil Heineman, among others.

Let’s dive into the highlights from the Canadiens’ 5-0 win!

Slow Start

Once the puck was dropped, both teams struggled with their execution. Much like when raccoons notice someone brought their garbage out a day early, or Sloppy Joe day at a high school cafeteria, the first period of preseason action was predictably messy. The Flyers were even robbed of a perfectly good goal, but hey, it’s the preseason for referees as well.

The first line to make any noise for the Habs was the newly formed trio of Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, and Alex Newhook. Considering they had accumulated enough rust to star in a CLR commercial, they fared quite well when it came to generating scoring chances. We know everyone plays well with Dach, therefore the instant chemistry isn’t overly surprising, but it was certainly encouraging.

Good speed by Newhook as the F1, a big hit by Dach, a pass by Hutson, and Laine gets his first scoring chance. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/qQk3NhJgdu

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 23, 2024

They’ll need a little more time to work out the kinks, as the last time they played a game was in 2023, but there’s definitely an element of instant chemistry in play between Laine, Dach, and Newhook.

A nice pass by Laine gives Dach a high-danger scoring chance. He hits iron. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/7ayWZrt5Rg

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 24, 2024

Kapanen Stands Out

It will be difficult for Oliver Kapanen to earn a roster spot, but he’s doing all he can to convince Canadiens management that he deserves a longer look. Remember, if he doesn’t make the team, he will return to Sweden and play for his father’s team, Timra IK. On Monday night, Kapanen stood out as the best player, thanks to his tireless forecheck, as well as his high-end agility and puck handling. His defensive prowess was on display as well, as evidenced by his good work during the penalty kill.

Some solid work by Kapanen down low. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/toR79VOfTQ

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 23, 2024

D-Lo Says No

We have to give full marks to Lucas Condotta for jumping on Nicolas Deslauriers after the former Hab landed a heavy hit on Adam Engstrom, but if we’re being perfectly honest, Deslauriers deserves a little credit too, as he recognized that he has the ability to turn most players’ faces into something resembling Hamburger Helper and decided not to drop the gloves with Condotta.

Nicolas Deslauriers realized he’s in another weight class and didn’t engage with Condotta.

He may have saved a man’s life tonight, that was going to be a massive mismatch. pic.twitter.com/6AtC2MzuRp

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 23, 2024

Mandatory Lane Hutson Praise Segment

Look, I don’t want to overstuff the Lane Hutson hype train with coal, but it’s going to be very difficult to ignore all the good things he does on the ice. Beyond the many things we’ve already discussed, Hutson should bring a crucial element to the table for the Habs this season: controlled entries.

Last year, Nick Suzuki was essentially the only player who created controlled entries, both on the powerplay and at 5v5. Juraj Slafkovsky improved his play in transition, but not to the point that you could suggest he came close to matching Suzuki’s impact in the neutral zone. With that in mind, Hutson’s penchant for generating controlled entries should be a significant boon for the Canadiens’ captain, as it will free him up to gain a little more speed in the neutral zone, which, in turn, should add more pressure to defending players, as they have to respect Hutson when he has the puck, or a passing lane will quickly open up.

Get used to this. #GoHabsGo #Hutson pic.twitter.com/RQFsE7zAe3

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 24, 2024

To make matters even more entertaining, Hutson tends to fake the drop pass before speeding up and gaining the zone. We all know how frustrated Habs fans were last year every time the team failed to create a controlled entry by using a drop pass. In one fell swoop, Hutson has (potentially) solved one of the most frustrating aspects of the team’s play in transition.

Hutson was also quite good defensively, which goes against the current narrative, but that narrative didn’t watch him play much in the NCAA, because on most nights it was Hutson who was saving the day with strong defensive play. As per usual, he made up for a few defensive misreads from his teammates on Monday night.

As a completely unrelated topic, does anyone happen to know where I can get a bulk deal on coal?

Lane Hutson the one man zone-entry pic.twitter.com/A998fEtpYJ

— Cam Weitzman (@Cweitz99) September 24, 2024

The Flood Gates Open

Hutson’s Boston University teammate, Luke Tuch, opened the scoring, though we have to give credit to Jared Davidson for his strong work to force the turnover and feed Tuch with a very nice pass. Neither player will start the season with the Canadiens, but they are certainly helping their standing in Laval with strong preseason play.

Great work by Jared Davidson here. Forces the turnover and sets up Luke Tuch perfectly. 1-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/jfswxvz2eC

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 24, 2024

David Savard, the designated chaperone on Monday night, followed suit, capitalizing on his own rebound to extend the lead to 2-0. Lane Hutson earned an assist, a sentence that you will probably read ad nauseam this season.

Uncle Savard shows the cubs the ropes by scoring a goal, Hutson & Anderson with assists. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/7imOIA2cei

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 24, 2024

The Canadiens took over from there, putting together a dominant performance over the struggling Flyers. Kapanen, Alex Barre-Boulet, and Emil Heineman were the next players to enter their name on the scoresheet, with the latter taking advantage of good work down low to push the score to 3-0. They would go on to score another very impressive goal late in the game, pushing the score to 5-0.

Very good work by Barre-Boulet and Kapanen sets up Emil Heineman, who makes no mistake.

3-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/0LLv1It085

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 24, 2024

The Montreal Canadiens scored their third goal in a little over two minutes when Josh Anderson finished a great play by Joshua Roy. I haven’t been shy when it comes to Roy’s value to the Habs. He’s probably the most underrated player on the team, and his underlying numbers suggest he’s ready for top-six usage. When it comes to Anderson, I know he was the butt of many jokes last season, but a lot of his struggles were related to bad luck. I’m not saying he’s bound to score 30 goals this year, but bad luck can become good luck in a hurry in professional sports.

Joshua Roy is already a very good NHL player, I’ll die on that hill.

Nice finish by Anderson after Roy’s perfect saucer. 4-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/l0FWW5xOEj

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 24, 2024

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Tuesday. They will face the New Jersey Devils at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.

Lane Hutson is the first star. Could have been Kapanen, but it doesn’t really matter.

Great effort from the youth movement. #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/0rcbXNxqlS

— Marc Dumont (@MarcPDumont) September 24, 2024

All Montreal Canadiens statistics are via Natural Stat Trick.