(Brossard) Victor Mete shattered a Canadian record by scoring his first career goal in the NHL with the Montreal club at his 127e match, in October 2019.
Posted at 2:17 p.m.
Alexis Bélanger-Champagne
The Canadian Press
Lane Hutson is only 30 games in and the craziest are already having fun betting on when the new darling of the fans will find the back of the net.
One thing is certain however, the roof of the Bell Center will blow off if the 20-year-old American manages to do so during a home game.
“It will be loud and we will all be very happy for him,” defenseman Kaiden Guhle said while dreaming of that moment on Wednesday.
“It’s going to come. I’m sure he thinks about it and it’s not easy to have that in the back of your mind. But if he continues to play the way he is playing, it will happen eventually,” Guhle added.
Hutson had two 15-goal campaigns in 39 and 38 games with Boston University. After two games at the end of the campaign last spring and 28 this fall, the subject of his first goal is starting to come up a little more often in discussions in the locker room.
“I continue to work on my shot and hope to score some goals,” he said Wednesday. The power, the moment when I shoot, I want to improve everything to help me. »
Hutson has taken 32 shots on goal this season, which ranks him 10the rank among the Canadian, and second among the team’s defensemen.
Asked if Hutson should shoot more often to vary his game, head coach Martin St-Louis gave a more general answer, concerning all of his troops.
“Not only him, we have to play faster when the puck returns to the opposing blue line,” said St-Louis. Offensively, we don’t play fast enough when the puck returns to the blue line. It doesn’t necessarily take a great throw, just a throw that will beat the roofer. »
Even though Mete and Hutson are smaller defenders, the comparison between the two is awkward. In his best season, Mete collected 13 assists in 71 games with the Habs. Hutson has already accumulated 19 assists this season.
He is also at the heart of a seven-game streak with at least one point, which represents a Canadian record for a rookie defenseman.
And beyond the offensive game, Hutson has demonstrated that he can do very well in his territory despite his disadvantage in terms of his size.
“When we talked about Lane before he arrived in the NHL, we only heard about his offensive side and questions about whether he would be able to defend his territory in the NHL,” St-Louis recalled. When I saw his level of defensive commitment, it impressed me.
“Yes, his game starts with his offensive side. He has that, added St-Louis. But that’s how combative he is defensively. How he learns to play with his four teammates on the ice. Both offensively and defensively, his intensity impresses me from match to match. »
St-Louis said at the start of the season that Hutson would have to continue to be unpredictable for the opponent, while becoming more predictable for his teammates. His recent successes may be the result of progression at this level.
“I think he’s becoming more and more effective at moving the puck,” said David Savard. He loves having the puck on the blade of his stick, but he finds guys more and more when they stand out. He moves the puck faster than in his debut and manages to get out of the way to receive it again in position to score. »
And when he scores, it will be a party on the Canadian bench. It will also be a little less weight on Hutson’s shoulders, who will have a souvenir to send to his parents.
“It doesn’t really affect me because most of all I want us to win games. The time will come, but I hope it will be soon,” concluded Hutson.
