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Canadiens Postgame

Habs Highlights: Phenom Lane Hutson Keeps Making History

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10 months ago

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lane hutson montreal canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens were in Nashville on Sunday, looking to extend their winning streak while also securing their grip on the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Prior to puck drop the Canadiens announced both Emil Heineman and David Savard were late scratches, which lead to Arber Xhekaj and Josh Anderson’s return to the lineup.

Seeing as it was the second-leg of back-to-back games that also included travel, the Canadiens were outmatched in the energy department for the first half of the game.

But that’s fine.

Playing catch-up is Montreal’s spinach, giving them all the power necessary to knock out their opponents in the final minutes of the fight. This particular comeback wasn’t as exciting as others, but ugly is more than acceptable given the playoff race.

In addition to beating the Predators 2-1 on Sunday, the Habs’ improved their playoff odds to 85 percent. In other words, springtime hockey is almost assuredly back on the docket in Montreal, and the NHL will be better off for it.

Let’s dive into the highlights!

You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry

At this point in the season, I’m starting to doubt whether the Habs can win a game without spotting their opponents an early lead. They’re like the NHL version of The Incredible Hulk, they only become dangerous once you slap them around a little. I also heard they’re big fans of cut-off jean shorts, but that’s another matter entirely.

Former Hab Michael McCarron opened the scoring for the Predators, establishing a lead that would last almost 20 minutes. As per tradition, it was one of the members of the first line that drove the offensive charge for the Canadiens, culminating with Cole Caufield scoring his 36th goal of the year.

Lane Hutson Time

Shockingly, Hutson didn’t assist the scoring play.

I understand that I often use that term sarcastically, but statistically speaking, it is a little weird to see a goal without his name attached to it.

The clear-cut choice for the Calder Trophy added a little normal to the equation when he set up Patrik Laine’s 20th goal of the year early in the third period. With the assist, Hutson tied Chris Chelios for the sixth-most points by a rookie defenceman in NHL history, and there’s still plenty of runway left to catch the top five.

Another interesting way of looking at Hutson’s ridiculous scoring pace was brought up by our good friends over at Habs Reddit.

With 64, Hutson matches Andrei Markov’s career high in points. Keep in mind, Markov is easily among the best defencemen in team history, as evidenced by the fact that he only trails Larry Robinson for the most points by a defenceman in Canadiens history.

We’re being treated to something special in Montreal, and the best part is that Hutson is just getting started.

His superstar potential is impossible to deny.

Sassiness Per 60

I’m not sure what’s gotten into Juraj Slafkovsky’s lately, but I am loving the not-so-subtle trolling. He’s bigger than most, and it’s pretty hilarious to see him apply playground tactics while defusing frustrated opponents.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Tuesday, hosting the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre, with the puck drop scheduled for 7 pm ET. All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.

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