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Hutson: We Are Ready for Lift-Off |
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Follow me @KarineHains for all updates about the Montreal Canadiens and women's hockey
With only two games remaining on the schedule for Montreal, chances are, some of the players are already thinking about their holiday plans. One thing is for certain though, Lane Hutson isn’t. In just a few hours, the 5-foot-10 and 162 lbs blueliner will be taking his rookie lap in the State where it all started for him, Michigan.
Of course, Hutson shouldn’t be expected to dominate right away in the big league and fans would do well to manage their expectations. A modest first game isn’t the kiss of death on a player’s career, far from it. A spectacular first game can sometimes be a curse more than a blessing. Remember Ryan Poehling’s hat trick in his first game in the NHL and his 4th goal in the shootout to win the game against the Leafs. That display gave fans unrealistic expectations and set up Poehling for a fall, because whatever he did, he just couldn’t match the fireworks of his debut.
As for tonight’s opponent the Red Wings, they are still in the hunt for a playoff spot and a regulation loss tonight would eliminate them. In other words, they should be pushing hard to keep the dream alive, Hutson debut or not. The two teams have faced each other twice so far this season and each game was won by the away side.In their last game, the Wings got the better of the Maple Leafs with a 5-4 overtime win on Saturday night. Detroit has won six of the last 10 duels with Montreal, including the last one 5-4 in overtime.
Tonight, Mike Matheson and Cole Caufield will try to keep their 7-game point streak alive. Caufield has got seven goals and two assists in that span while Matheson has a goal and 10 assists. No word yet on who will face the Wings in net, Samuel Montembeault hasn’t faced them this season while Cayden Primeau won his start against Detroit with great stats; 1.87 GAA and .931. Montembeault has only taken on Detroit twice in his career, winning one start and losing the other one.
Luke Tuch is still expected to sign with the Canadiens soon, apparently, the parties disagree on when the pact should start. Tuch wants it to start this season to burn the first year, but that's not the Canadiens' plan. We'll see if that disagreement can be sorted.
After the game, both teams will be heading to Montreal to wrap up their season at the Bell Center. The Canadiens players will have their exit interviews and clear out their locker in Brossard on Wednesday the 17th.
Montreal Canadiens Blogger • 
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