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In Hainsight: A Very Good Start |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
Last night's game was do or die for the Red Wings and early on, they almost looked overwhelmed by the importance of the matchup. Montreal took the lead early on when Lane Hutson, on the second shift of his career, took a shot on net, and with the rebound going straight to Gallagher, it ended up behind Alex Lyon. Hutson got his first career point on the play and Gallagher let him lead the high five at the bench line. Less than two minutes later, Justin Barron who has looked much better of late gave the Canadiens a two-goal lead. J.T. Compher then put the Red Wings on the board with his first of the night. After 20 minutes it was 2-1 Montreal.
The Canadiens pulled further away from Detroit in the second frame, adding two goals in 15 minutes thanks to Rafael Harvey-Pinard and Brendan Gallagher. It was the alternate captainâs 15th goal of the season, making him the fifth-best scorer on the team behind Suzuki, Caufield, Slafkovsky and Armia. He overtook Newhook with that goal whoâs got 14 goals (in only 54 games, however). Compher cut the lead to two goals by scoring his second of the night before the end of the second.
After the intermission, it was all Red Wings, all the time. It seemed like they had finally shaken off their nerves and were on a mission to save their season. Even the fans got in the action throwing a couple of octopuses on the ice. Alex DeBrincat cut the lead in half around the midway point of the period and Lucas Raymond scored after Detroit had pulled its goalie to send everyone to overtime. He then gave the Wings the win on a two-on-one in overtime. The Canadiens will have to learn to protect a lead if they ever want to contend. On the bright side, Jake Evans had himself quite a night with three assists.
Now that this is out of the way, letâs talk Lane Hutson. The 20-year-old showed great skating ability, poise, and decision-making. He wasnât afraid to join the rush or to initiate the attack himself. He was able to find the gaps and wasnât shy of going to the net with great stickhandling. I was impressed with how swiftly he moved the puck in his own zone, not because he was panicking but because he knew before he even received the puck where he was going to send it. It was a very good start for the young man, and heâll soon be a fan favorite with that speed and those hands. He wonât become a star overnight, but heâs got a solid set of tools to be one day.
After the game, the Canadiens recalled Logan Mailloux from the Rocket. The first-year pro has had as good a season as could be expected in Laval, putting 47 points on the board in 70 games and being named an All-Star. Unlike Hutson, Mailloux has a big frame at six-foot-three and 220 lb. Tonight, weâll see a big part of the future on the blue line as both Hutson and Mailloux in the lineup.
The Canadiens announced this morning that David Savard was the recipient of the Jacques Beauchamp trophy which is awarded annually to the teamâs unsung hero. The veteran defenseman has become everyoneâs big brother this season, taking the young defense corps under his wing and becoming the ideal partner to ease young guys into the NHL.
Montreal will play its last game of the season tonight at the Bell Center and tomorrow, the players will be in Brossard for one last time for their exit interview. RDS will cover the event from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM and it will be interesting to hear what everyone has to say.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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