We don’t know how long it will take before the Canadian aspires to great honors. Nor even if he will still be in the race for the playoffs in mid-March. But if the Habs players put on a show similar to that of Saturday night, at least we will be entertained.
Especially by the Lane Hutson show.
He may only have five games of experience, but he skates with the puck with the confidence of a veteran. In this 4-1 victory, the 20-year-old defenseman put Senators players in his back pocket all evening.
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According to Sportlogiq, the Montrealers had possession of the puck for a little over six minutes in Senators territory. Hutson alone had it on the blade of his stick for a minute and a quarter. It’s huge!
“It’s tiring for the other team,” said Martin St-Louis, after this brilliant victory. He is intelligent, agile and can quickly recognize spaces. »
And let’s say he didn’t take too much offense at the pressure. He took down Nick Cousins with a spin-o-rama, even though he was the last defensive line in his group. He was strong enough on his skates to withstand a well-taken push to the upper back, courtesy of Brady Tkachuk.
“He is not afraid. He is brave enough and has enough skills to handle body checks,” said the Canadian head coach.
The best games
Hutson added an assist to his record. His third of the season and his fifth in as many NHL games.
Earlier in the match, he was also responsible for Emil Heineman’s first goal. He took the puck from one end of the ice to the other. A 200-foot crossing that he made on a few occasions during the meeting.
Plus, his cross-ice passes were so surgically precise that he could easily have added another assist or two to his record, with a little more opportunism from his teammates.
“He doesn’t just make plays. He finds the way to play the best game,” underlined St-Louis.
Caufield’s compass
Cole Caufield was another one who had fans on the edge of their seats. He is having quite a start to the season. The first of two goals he scored against Linus Ullmark was simply splendid.
He managed to lodge the puck in the upper part, through a gap the size of a grapefruit.
He has already hit the target on four occasions this season. What is particular is that the first trio has not necessarily been sparkling since the start of the campaign. Whether with equal strength or numerical superiority.
Yes, the Canadian’s massive attack scored a third goal in as many games. But the presence of Heineman, Christian Dvorak and Josh Anderson on the ice was more about preparing for Tkachuk’s imminent exit from the penalty box.
Moreover, of these three goals scored with a man advantage, only one was scored by the first unit. Yesterday, at least, we saw more assertive and more precise movement. The kind of rotation at the height of the faceoff circle seems a little confusing for the opponent’s coverage.
This bodes well.
I tell you: playoff race or not, we could have fun this winter at the Bell Center.
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