Nobody saw this coming from Lane Hutson at the Habs' morning skate
Lane Hutson was back on the Bell Centre ice Monday morning, skating freely under Martin St-Louis, and the body language alone changed the mood in Montreal.
That image mattered. The Canadiens are tied 1-1 with Carolina, and Hutson is the engine of their power play, blue line, and breakouts. Losing him now would gut the series.
So when reporters watched their 22-year-old defenseman lap the ice with normal stride and his usual loose upper body, the relief was visible. No favoring a leg. No hesitation at the top of the circles.
You could feel the Habs exhale through the rink.
-
Hutson finished the regular season with 78 points in 82 games, including 12 goals and a +36 rating. That's not a depth piece. That's the offense.
His playoff numbers tell the same story. He has 14 points in 16 games this spring, with 8 power play assists already on the postseason ledger.
Why the Habs need their power play quarterback for Tuesday
Montreal's road through Tampa and Buffalo leaned heavily on special teams, and the man at the top of the umbrella is the kid with the No. 48 on his back.
He's the one who tilts the ice. He's the one who flips the pressure. Carolina knows that. Rod Brind'Amour spent Game 2 making sure his forecheck rode him every shift.
The eye test from Monday morning matters here. Hutson cutting laterally, ripping pucks, popping back up after stops - fluid, easy, no caution in his edges.
-
Anthony Martineau called him "in good shape." Eric Engels said he looked "just Lane Hutson." Two of the most plugged-in voices in the press box, same read.
That's not a guarantee. Morning skates can hide things. But after a moment in Game 2 that had every Habs fan watching the trainer's bench, a clean skate is the news. Also, he was the first player on the ice, which is good news.
Game 3 goes Tuesday night. If Hutson is on the ice for the opening puck drop, Montreal still has its blueprint. And he will be there, more hungry than ever.
If something changes between now and warmup, the series flips on its head.
|
YESTERDAY
MAY 24, 2026
| ||||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Tomas Hertl | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| William Karlsson | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Mark Stone | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Kaedan Korczak | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Mitch Marner | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Devon Toews | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Jack Drury | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Brett Howden | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nazem Kadri | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Keegan Kolesar | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Landeskog | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Dylan Coghlan | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Parker Kelly | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nathan MacKinnon | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Manson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Martin Necas | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Shea Theodore | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Rasmus Andersson | - | - | - | |
| Ivan Barbashev | - | - | - | |
| Brent Burns | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||