Last night, Lane Hutson played a big one.
Not only did he play over 22 minutes, but he also blocked an important shot late in the game, picked up two assists, maintained a +3 differential…
In short, he was good.
As I said in a text earlier this morning, (finally) playing on the left with a big-calibre defender brought out the best in him.
We’re not always talking about Lane Hutson right now because he’s doing what he needs to do and because his future in Montreal is assured, but he’s having a great season.
He never really gets his team into trouble.
And by the way, it’s interesting to note that he’s the only regular skater (so far this season) on the Canadiens who has yet to be punished.
(Credit: Hockey DB)
Samuel Montembeault, Jacob Fowler, Alexandre Texier, and Owen Beck are the only other Canadiens players with a big fat zero in the penalty column.
Honorable mention to the captain’s four minutes. That’s not much.
It’s a nice improvement for Hutson, who has 34 career penalty minutes. The 34 minutes came in the 2024-2025 regular season, his first full year in the show.
He’s learned to play defensively without getting into trouble or putting his team on the back foot. It’s a big step forward, in fact.
It’s an aspect that goes a little unnoticed, but it’s still important.
It allows him to play more often, not only because he’s not in the penalty box, but also because it puts the Habs less often at a numerical disadvantage, where they don’t really play.
overtime
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