Two days after being hit knee-on-knee, Montreal Canadiens defenseman Lane Hutson was hit up high in overtime of Game 3. Moments later, Hutson coughed up the puck in his own end, which led to the Hurricanes' game-winner.
MONTREAL - Lane Hutson might not be able to grow a proper playoff beard yet. But five weeks into the post-season, the 22-year-old has a swollen lip, a bruised nose and all the other markings of a player who has clearly been putting in his dues.
Three games into the Eastern Conference final against the Carolina Hurricanes, all that wear and tear is starting to have a negative effect on his game.
Two days after Taylor Hall stuck out his leg on a hit and caught the Montreal Canadiens defenseman with a knee-on-knee hit in Game 2, Hutson received a high elbow in Game 3 from William Carrier in overtime. Moments later, a somewhat shell-shocked Hutson coughed up the puck in his own end that led to Carolina's Andrei Svechnikov scoring the game-winner.
Coincidence?
Well, if you're the Hurricanes, maybe not.
The playoffs are a war of attrition. By the time you reach the third round, players are not only running on fumes, but they are also being held together with ice packs and tensor bandages.
With nearly twice as many hits as Montreal, the Hurricanes are so far winning that war, as well have a 2-1 lead in the best-of-seven series.
"I would say it's a staple of our game," said Carolina defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere. "Our forwards do a great job of sending a heavy forecheck. It's to whoever has the puck, to be honest. Obviously, (Montreal's) skilled guys, you want to get a piece of them any chance you get, don't let them get up the ice. When you're doing that all game, it gets annoying. You're not going to want to get up the ice when you're getting hit all the time or mentally knowing that you're going to get hit."
A player like Hutson, who scored in Game 3, has the ability to change the game with his speed, stickhandling and mobility. The way to slow him down is to take away his time and space and — as Gostisbehere said — "make life miserable."
In other words, you've got to hit him. And then hit him again. And again and again.
"When those guys are going back and getting pucks, they're like, 'Oh crap, I have to go back for the puck again,' " said Gostisbehere.
That might have been what Hutson was thinking when he rushed a pass to Juraj Slafkovsky in the final minutes of overtime rather than hang onto the puck and skate it up the ice.
Hutson called it a mistake. But it was more than that. It was the accumulation of being hit so many times that it seemed like he couldn't wait to get rid of the puck, particularly on the elbow to the head he received from Carrier in overtime.
"He took one before that, and I think he's dazed, and I don't think he ever recovered in this shift after this hit," said Sportsnet analyst and former defenseman Luke Gazdic. "The goal, I would say is 20 to 25 seconds after this. He stays, he gets back to his feet and the turnover happens after it."
Said Hutson: "I tried to make a possession play and saw 'Suzy' (Nick Suzuki), and I didn't want to just pass it to a flat-footed Suzy and them tip it in and just get a free breakout again. So I tried to make a possession play, and it sucks because it ended up going in."
When asked if they were concerned that their young defenseman, who is only 5-foot-9 and 162 pounds, was being targeted, Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier brushed it off.
"Not concerned at all," said Carrier. "We know Lane's a gamer — he wants to have a difference on those games. Maybe on those plays, it happens. You make a mistake, and it's in the back of the net. It's not his fault at all. Like I said, he's a gamer. He's getting hit to make playes. He's been one of our best players all series long."
Indeed, Hutson is not only tied for first in playoff scoring among defensemen with 15 points, but he's also leading the team in average ice time (25:55). His ability to break the puck out of the defensive zone has been a crucial part of Montreal's success in the post-season.
"He's an X-factor," said Canadiens center Joe Veleno. "Everybody here knows he's a superstar defenseman."
Unfortunately for Hutson, the Hurricanes are also well aware of this. Which is why they are hitting him every chance they get.
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