Montreal defenseman Lane Hutson impressed his new teammates and coach as he donned the Canadiens jersey for the first time.
GAME RECAP | Montreal Canadiens 4 vs Detroit Red Wings 5 | FINAL/OT
Canadiens Lineup
Forwards
22 Cole Caufield - 14 Nick Suzuki - 20 Juraj Slafkovsky
11 Brendan Gallagher - 15 Alex Newhook - 40 Joel Armia
49 Rafael Harvey-Pinard - 71 Jake Evans - 17 Josh Anderson
55 Michael Pezzetta - 28 Christian Dvorak - 56 Jesse Ylonen
Defensemen
8 Mike Matheson - 52 Justin Barron
54 Jordan Harris - 26 Johnathan Kovacevic
48 Lane Hutson - 58 David Savard
Goaltenders
Starter: 35 Sam Montembeault
Alternate: 30 Cayden Primeau
Out of the lineup
Scratches: Colin White, Tanner Pearson, Jayden Struble
Injuries: Carey Price (knee), Chris Wideman (back), Kirby Dach (knee), Joshua Roy (hand), Arber Xhekaj (upper body), Kaiden Guhle (upper body)
Canadiens Connection on YouTube
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2fKuM3EtiY[/embed]
Looking for the Apple Podcasts link? Click here!
There was a buzz around the Canadiens all day on Monday as Lane Hutson, a 2022 second-round pick took to the ice for his first game day skate with his new teammates. Just before 7:00, Hutson stepped on the ice again, this time to do a traditional solo lap making his NHL debut at the Little Caesars Arena in Detroit.
Perhaps Habs fans would have been satisfied with the 20-year-old not looking out of place on the big stage after just being promoted from the college ranks. But Hutson played without fear and simply dazzled at times in the game.
In all, Hutson earned almost 22 minutes of ice time, third most on the team, behind veterans David Savard and Mike Matheson. And throughout his baptism, the rookie defenseman looked poised and engaged. Hutson recorded his first NHL point, assisting on Brendan Gallagher's 14th goal of the season.
In addition to the buzz around Hutson's debut, there was also the energy of the Canadiens being involved in a meaningful game, during the second last tilt of the season. Detroit was desperate for at least a point in the contest. Habs fans and players need to file this experience away when Montreal is in the situation of needing to ramp up their intensity the way the Red Wings did tonight.
After the Canadiens took a 4-1 lead with less than five minutes left in the second period, the Wings scored four unanswered goals to keep their playoff hopes alive. Lucas Raymond scored the tying goal in the dying seconds of the third period and potted the game winner with 25 seconds left in overtime.
In a brilliant quirk of the schedule, the two teams will once again meet with the playoffs on the line for the Red Wings, and a Canadiens defenseman making his NHL debut.
The Canadiens have lost three straight contests and are in 28th place in the standings.
Game Statistics
Canadiens (30-36-14)
Shots: 21
Face-off %: 51.9
Power play: 0/0
Penalty minutes: 2
Hits: 30
Blocks: 33
Red Wings (39-32-9)
Shots: 35
Face-off %: 48.1
Power play: 0/1
Penalty minutes: 0
Hits: 25
Blocks: 11
Scoring Summary
Canadiens Scorers
1st period: Gallagher (14), Barron (7)
2nd period: Harvey-Pinard (2), Gallagher (15)
3rd period: --
OT: --
SO: --
Red Wings Scorers
1st period: Compher (18)
2nd period: Compher (19)
3rd period: DeBrincat (27), Raymond (30)
OT: Raymond (31)
SO: --
Goaltenders
MTL: Montembeault (OTL) 16-15-9
DET: Lyon (W) 21-18-5
Canadiens Player of the Game
Jake Evans - Evans registered three assists and led the Habs with a 60 percent success rate at the faceoff dot.
Video Highlights
[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dj4Z2JQS6pQ[/embed]
Post-game Quotes
Martin St. Louis on Lane Hutson
“He's not a big player. He's a good skater and he plays with a lot of energy. On the first goal, he was dangerous at the blue line while being active. His zone exit passes were excellent. I was very impressed."
Lane Hutson
“I think you always remember your first game. This was really special, especially having all of my family here."
Up Next
After their game in Detroit, the Canadiens recalled defenseman Logan Mailloux from the Laval Rocket.
The Canadiens will complete their season by hosting the Detroit Red Wings at the Bell Centre on Tuesday night.
Be sure to bookmark THN.com/Montreal for year-round coverage of the Montreal Canadiens, Laval Rocket, and Habs prospects playing in leagues around the world.
