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Habs Highlights: Nick Suzuki And Lane Hutson Do It Again!

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1 month ago

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Montreal Canadiens Nick Suzuki via screenshot

The Montreal Canadiens hosted the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night, hoping to complete a series sweep of the defending Stanley Cup champions, and bolster their playoff odds in the process.

There’s only one back-to-back game left in the season, which means Habs fans should get used to seeing Samuel Montembeault named as the team’s starter, with a slight possibility we see Jakub Dobes at some point, but don’t count on it.

The game seemed destined to ruin Montreal’s playoff hopes, but two fantastic odds-defying goals by team captain Nick Suzuki came to the rescue, snatching victory from the jaws of defeat, and securing a crucial 3-2 win for the Habs.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

Mr. Anderson

We’ll spare everyone of the usual Josh Anderson-related spiel that comes with every solid play, but suffice it to say he’s doing a great job providing the Canadiens with important contributions down the final stretch of the season, and that’s due to his commitment to re-inventing his game.

Anderson once again gave the Habs an early lead, using strong hand-eye coordination to score his 14th of the year. Kaiden Guhle and Lane Hutson earned an assist, with Hutson reaching the 60-point mark in the process.

It’s statistically incorrect to say every game is now a ‘must-win’, but let’s just say the Habs can’t afford to lose if they want to hold onto the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference. And if they want to avoid losing, they’ll need players who are not named Juraj Slafkovsky, Nick Suzuki, or Cole Caufield to provide offensive contributions, just as Anderson has in the last few games.

Of Corsi

You may recognize Niko Mikkola as the player who shot a puck toward David Savard in the last second of Sunday’s 4-2 win by the Canadiens. He was fined $5000 for his decision, which will obviously ensure he’ll never do it again.

Mikkola rubbed a little more salt into Montreal’s lead in the first period, however, he needed a little help from the Habs. Fourth-line centre Jake Evans accidentally tipped the Mikkola point shot, putting it just beyond Montembeault’s reach.

It was an unfortunate play, but the Canadiens did not respond all that well, a frustrating sign for a team must play playoff-calibre hockey down the final stretch of the year just to qualify for the springtime dance.

That’s The Way She Goes

By the end of the second period, the high-danger chances at 5v5 were 7-6 in favour of the Habs, but a questionable call on Slafkovsky led to Mackie Samoskevich 14th goal of the year.

The powerplay point shot was tipped by Kaiden Guhle, as the last minute trajectory adjustment fooled Montembeault. I know some will go out of their way to blame Montembeault for either own goals, but life as an NHL goaltender is already very difficult. They don’t need their own players working against them.


The Panthers continued to control the game, albeit not without allowing a few scoring chances from the Canadiens. Montembeault did a reasonably good job stopping the pucks sent his way that were not deflected, or did not involve multiple screens.

The Usual Suspects

Just when it appeared an errant Mike Matheson pass had sunk the team’s chances to win, and consequently destroyed their playoff odds, cue Hutson.

The clear-cut front-runner for the Calder Trophy wasted no time driving the play down low, where a lucky bounce finally went Montreal’s way, as the puck landed directly on Suzuki’s stick.

Not only did Suzuki set a career high in points with 78, Hutson passed former Hab Chris Chelios for the second-most assists by a rookie defenceman in league history.

Suzuki wasn’t done there. It’s easy to dismiss his contributions when we see him on a nightly basis, but what Suzuki  is doing when his team needs it most is why he’s known to lead by example, and why he has the respect of his linemates.

Not only did Suzuki save the season, he also gave the Habs their best chance to qualify for the playoffs, and it took him a little over 30 seconds to do it.

Bad leaders demand respect, good leaders command it, like Nick Suzuki.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday, hosting the Boston Bruins at the Bell Centre. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET. All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted. Via Natural Stat Trick.

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