Habs Daily: Hutson Hits 50, Slafkovsky And Laine Show Up, Armia

Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Wednesday.

Montreal Canadiens News

Joel Armia was unable to face the Kraken due to an arm injury that took place against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night. It’s officially an ‘upper-body’ injury, because NHL injury reports are fairly useless, but thankfully, humans are lucky enough to have sensory organs called eyes.

L’attaquant Joel Armia (haut du corps) ne participera pas au match de ce soir et est évalué sur une base quotidienne. L’attaquant Patrik Laine prendra part au match contre le Kraken.

Forward Joel Armia (upper body) will not participate in tonight’s game and is being evaluated on…

— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) March 13, 2025

There were two lineup changes prior to Wednesday’s game against the Seattle Kraken. Jakub Dobes replaced Samuel Montembeault, while Patrik Laine entered the lineup to plug a hole left behind by Armia. Dobes didn’t have his best outing, but that’s to be expected from a young netminder every once in a while. Laine, however, provided crucial offence while the rest of the team napped. And Juraj Slafkovsky continued his excellent late-season play with a two-goal effort.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to hold off the Kraken. They scored two powerplay goals late in the third period, and to make matters worse, they needed just five seconds to score in overtime. Montreal Canadiens head coach Martin St-Louis is at the very least partly responsible for the game-losing overtime strategy.  [Habs Highlights: Slafkovsky Continues Great Play, Laine Produces]

Slafkovsky’s two goals pushed his career totals to 100 points in 183 games, which isn’t that bad when we consider it was far from a talent-heavy draft.

#Habs Juraj Slafkovsky on reaching 100 #NHL points: “I’d rather have 50 points but be in the playoffs”

— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) March 13, 2025

That being said, there was certainly some elite talent to be found at the draft, as evidenced by Lane Hutson’s ridiculous rookie scoring pace. The 20-year-old defenceman hit the 50-point mark on Wednesday, the first rookie in the league to do so. And then he hit the 51-point mark a few minutes later, the first rookie in the league to do so. I get the sense he’ll hit 52 points soon, and he’ll be the first rookie in the league to …

IT’S LANE! 🔵⚪️🔴

Lane Hutson is the first rookie to reach the 50-point mark this season! pic.twitter.com/Qf1jo77tg8

— NHL (@NHL) March 13, 2025

It was a tough night for Montreal-based teams,  as well as one Montreal-adjacent team. The Victoire lost 3-2 in overtime to the New York Sirens, which is notable since Montreal is the top team in the PWHL, while New York is dead last. The Laval Rocket also lost, a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Bridgeport Islanders. Laval happens to be the top team in the AHL, while Bridgeport is, yup, you guessed it, dead last.

The bright side is that Alex Barre-Boulet (17,18) managed to score both goals for the Rocket.

Alex Barré-Boulet profite de l’avantage numérique pour inscrire son 17e but de la saison! 🚨#GoRocket pic.twitter.com/5sZb8yYfMC

— RDS (@RDSca) March 13, 2025

ICYMI: There was a confirmed case of measles at the Bell Centre. The measles exposure took place on March 3, as the Canadiens faced the Buffalo Sabres. Anyone present at the Bell Centre should monitor themselves for symptoms, especially those who were located in the red sections 111-117.

The symptoms usually take 10–14 days to appear following exposure, and include a dry cough, a fever, and rashes. Also, please get vaccinated if you have not had the chance to do so. This is a dangerous disease, and we know how to prevent it, but it takes a small dose of civic responsibility from everyone. [City News]

National Hockey Now Network

It was never going to be easy, but the New Jersey Devils are, in fact, sustaining a moderate level of success without their best player. [New Jersey Devils]

Fans will look at Patrick Kane’s performance Wednesday and remember a five-point night. But Detroit Red Wings coach Todd McLellan saw more than numbers. [Detroit Red Wings]

In retrospect, it would’ve done the Red Wings a world of good had the club been the one opting to make a move for goaltender Linus Ullmark last summer. [Florida Panthers]