Patrik Laine scores his first five-on-five goal with the Canadiens.

Patrik Laine is a whiz on the power play. When the puck makes its way to him with the advantage of an extra man, opposing goalies had better be ready.

Laine finally managed to score at even strength!

After scoring nine power-play goals with the Canadiens, Laine got his first even-strength goal on Tuesday during the game against Utah.

The funniest part is that the goal is an exact copy of his typical power-play goals. A blast from the left circle to beat the goalie.

The Canadiens’ number 92 has been improving at even strength over the last few games. He recorded a helper at even strength last week against the Lightning.

Thus, Laine has reached the milestone of 10 goals with the Canadiens.

The Finn has become the sixth Canadiens player to reach this milestone this season. It took the Canadiens only 43 games to have six players score 10 goals.

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This is a significant improvement compared to previous years.

It’s also worth mentioning that this was Laine’s 400th point in the NHL. He achieved this feat in just 495 games.

Not bad!

Out of his 400 points in the NHL, Laine has 214 goals.

Laine continues to leave his mark in the Canadiens’ record book. He has become the fifth Canadiens player to score at least 10 goals in his first 15 games over the last 40 years.

Overtime

Laine is not just setting records with the Canadiens. With his goal in the game against Utah, he became the sixth active Finnish player to reach the 400-point milestone in the NHL.

Three points from Lane Hutson propel the Canadiens to victory against Utah.

For the first time since the team’s inception, the Utah HC hosted the Canadiens on Tuesday. With nine victories in their last 12 games, Montreal was looking to continue their strong streak.

Pezzetta came in as reinforcements for the Canadiens, who will have to manage without Emil Heineman for a few weeks, as he was injured in a car accident.

Here is the Canadiens’ lineup:

And here is the lineup for Utah:

The two teams put on an offensive show right from the start of the game.

Michael Pezzetta and Mike Matheson were both ejected in the first minutes of the game, granting Utah a five-on-three power play opportunity. Josh Doan took advantage of this to open the scoring just under three minutes into the game.

Matheson, however, managed to redeem himself about a minute later. The defenseman retrieved the puck before completely outpacing two Utah defenders. He capped off the play with a shot between the legs of Karel Vejmelka to score the first goal for the CH.

Lane Hutson recorded his 30th assist of the season on that goal, making him the sixth fastest defenseman to reach 30 assists in his rookie season.

He only needed 43 games, which is better than Cale Makar and Quinn Hughes!

However, Utah quickly regained control of the match. Late in the first period, Nick Bjugstad’s shot found its way behind Samuel Montembeault.

After 20 minutes of play, the Canadiens were trailing by a score of 2 to 1.

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In the second period, the Canadiens took control. After allowing Utah to fire 14 shots on Montembeault in the first period, Montreal limited their opponents to just six shots in the second.

Meanwhile, the Tricolore directed 12 shots at the opposing net and managed to score twice.

Nick Suzuki came close to tying the game in the second period, but Vejmelka was saved by his defense.

Patrik Laine tied the game with his 10th goal of the season, which was also his very first goal at even strength with the Canadiens.

Lane Hutson then made another charge by delivering a clever pass to Kirby Dach, who also put on a show by scoring a beautiful goal.

After two periods, the Canadiens were now leading by a score of 3 to 2.

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Once again, we witnessed some goals in the third period. There was a bit of slack from the Canadiens at the beginning of the period, and Utah capitalized.

Logan Cooley had an empty net to score.

However, the Canadiens were far from having said their last word.

Lane Hutson (yes, him again) broke free and took a shot that found its way into the opposing net. Upon review, it was noted that Cole Caufield had touched the puck, giving him his 24th goal of the season.

As Utah tried to come back in the match, Jake Evans managed to break away while shorthanded but was hooked by Mikhail Sergachev.

Evans received a penalty shot but could not outsmart Vejmelka.

This did not have much consequence for the Canadiens, who continued their offensive game a few minutes later. Kirby Dach scored his second goal of the game with a routine shot that surprised Vejmelka.

Utah pulled their goalie late in the game to try to make up the two-goal deficit. Unfortunately for Utah, Montembeault and the Tricolore stood strong and prevented the puck from entering the net.

Montreal thus won by a score of 5 to 3, claiming their 10th victory in their last 13 games.

The Canadiens will be back in action on Thursday when they face the Stars in Dallas.

Overtime

– The Canadiens were not disciplined at the start of the game.

– Montreal could rely on Samuel Montembeault in the first period.

– He is simply too strong.

– He keeps impressing.

– He will be an important cog for the Canadiens for years to come.

Top-5: Kirill Marchenko with the goal of the year in the shootout

26 teams out of 32 were in action last night.

There was certainly a lot of action.

Here are the results and highlights:

1. Kirill Marchenko with the goal of the year in the shootout

Canadiens fans will certainly start watching Blue Jackets games closely.

Columbus currently occupies the last playoff spot with 48 points. The Canadiens are not far behind with 46.

Last night, Dean Evason’s team won in the shootout thanks to this goal from Kirill Marchenko.

Zach Werenski also contributed to the offense.

He extended his home point streak to 17 games with this goal.

He added another one a little later.

Final score: 3-2.

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2. A second shutout in three games for Leevi Merilainen

Another team in the playoff picture is the Senators.

And they’ve found their goaltender in Linus Ullmark’s absence. Young Leevi Merilainen blanked the New York Islanders with a performance of 24 saves.

Second shutout in three games for him.

Steve Staios said he wouldn’t be shopping for a goaltender ahead of the trade deadline. Here’s why.

Ottawa may have won, but it was far from a masterpiece. First, Brady Tkachuk crashed into his teammate Nick Jensen.

And Thomas Chabot took a puck directly to the face.

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3. Brayden Point’s absence does not bode well for the Lightning

The Boston Bruins took advantage of Brayden Point’s absence, who was sidelined for missing a team meeting, to crush Tampa Bay.

This 6-2 victory allowed Boston to catch up to Tampa in the points standings, but the team still has four more games played.

In his 76th NHL game, Parker Wotherspoon scored his first NHL goal.

David Pastrnak, on the other hand, is more accustomed to scoring goals.

He found the back of the net for the seventh time in six games.

Despite a 6-2 drubbing, Jeremy Swayman was good in net for the Bruins.

He stopped 43 shots.

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4. Frank Vatrano sends Tom Wilson to the bench

It’s rare for Tom Wilson to be the victim of a big hit, but last night, he learned that Frank Vatrano can hit a bit.

He sent Wilson to the penalty box.

The Capitals still won the game by a score of 3-0.

Shutout of 19 saves for Logan Thompson.

Alex Ovechkin did not score in the game, but rookie Ethan Frank shone again.

Three points, including two goals, in three games since his call-up for the speedy forward.

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5. Cale Makar reaches 50 points, Nathan MacKinnon at 70

In Colorado, the Avalanche won 3-2 in overtime against the New York Rangers.

It was Devon Toews who completed the comeback for his team and sealed the game’s outcome in overtime.

Artturi Lehkonen had forced an overtime with just over a minute left in the game.

In victory, Nathan MacKinnon recorded two assists and Cale Makar, one.

Both stars reached significant milestones. MacKinnon is the first player to hit the 70-point mark, while the defenseman is the first at his position to reach 50.

What players!

Overtime

– A 1000th win for the Preds.

– What a goal!

– Great play.

– Quite a match for the rookie!

– More scared than hurt.

– A natural hat trick in the first period for Kyle Connor.

– He leads the charge, justly.

(Credit: NHL.com)

– Two matches on the schedule.

(Credit: Google)

Stop disrespecting Lane Hutson; you look bad.

Last Thursday, I dedicated almost my entire column to the show Laraque & Gonzalez about Lane Hutson.

Let’s just say his three-point game and first star in Salt Lake City only added weight to his exceptional track record since arriving in the NHL.

I still pinch myself every time I see Lane Hutson dance on the ice…

Incredible statistics
Hutson is the best defenseman for the Canadiens in 45 years…

He is the MVP of the first half of the CH season…

He is one of the biggest surprises in the entire NHL since the start of the campaign…

He is the third-best scorer for the CH this season, behind Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield…

He is the best passer on the team so far in 2024-25…

Only Juraj Slafkovsky and Logan Cooley – two guys who are respectively in their third and second seasons in the show – have more points than Hutson among the players drafted in 2022. Not bad for a guy picked at the end of the second round…

He was named rookie of the month for December in the NHL and is on track to win this title again in January…

He is the top scorer among rookies this season, four points ahead of Michkov and Celebrini…

He has nine games with more than one point already this year…

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He is the sixth-best scorer among all defensemen in the Bettman circuit, ahead of Victor Hedman, Adam Fox, Evan Bouchard, Erik Karlsson, Rasmus Dahlin, Roman Josi, Mikhail Sergachev, John Carlson, Moritz Seider, Mike Matheson, and more…

He has recorded at least one point in each of his last five games. This is the third time this season he has gone through such a streak…

He is capable of playing simply but also in a more complicated way. The fact that he is just as capable of getting secondary assists on the power play, as well as many spectacular primary assists at five-on-five, proves it.

There was one game this year where Hutson had the puck on his stick for more than four minutes. Michael Pezzetta doesn’t even play that, four minutes, in a game…

He holds his own physically; he seems to be at his best when the going gets tough…

He has more points this season than the combined total of the second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh-best rookie defensemen. Wow!

We thought he would only be a power play specialist, but he is very good defensively and also produces at even strength…

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Want more?
Lane Hutson was good last year in his two games against the Red Wings. He also performed very well during the first 23 games of the current season (13 assists).

But the small American defenseman has really reached a whole other level since November 27.

In 22 games, Hutson has recorded no less than three goals and 21 assists, giving him a production of over one point per game. All this while maintaining a plus-9 differential during this period!

Only Mike Matheson (24m35) spends more time on the ice on average per game than Hutson (22m43). But Matheson is a veteran, and the fact that he has ceded his place on the team’s first-power play unit to Hutson is likely to decrease his average ice time (and increase Hutson’s).

The rapid emergence of Hutson has brought everyone back to their positions, especially Mike Matheson.

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Trophies to be won
Many believe that Lane Hutson will win the Calder Trophy this year, especially those who have watched his last 22 games.

“Many people”, however, does not include Kevin Weekes and Adnan Virk from the NHL Network.

Darren Dreger sees Hutson as a superstar in the making.

Both P.K. Subban and Renaud Lavoie predict not only a probable Calder Trophy for Hutson; they go so far as to predict a Norris Trophy for him. Do I need to remind you that such a trophy is awarded to the best defenseman in the entire NHL?

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The lack of respect towards Hutson
Some commentators continue to show disrespect towards the young Canadiens defenseman.

The most recent? Corey Pronman, who stated yesterday that Lane Hutson might one day become a top-four defenseman in the NHL.

Cr*pp! He is already top two in Montreal… and top 10 in the NHL!

Corey, when you miss the mark that much, you make your mea culpa; you admit your mistake. Just like the Snake dared to do this week on Processus…

Especially since you claim to be an expert on young players (just like the Snake and Pronman).

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We are lucky to have him
Let’s take a few minutes on this day off for the Canadiens to appreciate how lucky we are to have a young player like Lane Hutson. We are used to dreaming about Hutsons and watching them thrive elsewhere while thinking: “we never have players like that in Montreal.”

Or we trade them too early!

Damn, he’s going to break the bank with his next contract, little Lane. If Slafkovsky was able to earn nearly as much as Nick Suzuki, Hutson will surpass the captain.

I expect an eight-year contract with an average annual salary between eight and nine million dollars.

Don’t forget that the salary cap will rise significantly in the coming years…

Logan Mailloux had a terrible game against the Penguins.

While the Canadiens’ defense has found stability, Logan Mailloux is experiencing difficult moments with the Laval Rocket.

His game on Wednesday against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins could even be described as dreadful.

Judging solely by his game stats, one might think Mailloux wasn’t that awful. He recorded an assist on the game-winning goal in overtime and finished with a plus-minus of zero. But that doesn’t reflect his performance at all.

The Penguins took control of the game by scoring the first three goals. Mailloux was notably responsible for the third goal, causing a turnover at the opposing blue line, allowing the Penguins to attack with an advantage.

And that’s not all. Mailloux was penalized in the second period for roughness. As soon as he left the penalty box, he gave a cross-check to Emil Bemstrom, and the referees sent him right back to the penalty box.

These are stupid penalties that can easily be avoided.

Nothing was working for Mailloux in this game. He was removed from the power play in the third period. Pascal Vincent seemed fed up with him on the power play for this game.

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We had seen Logan Mailloux lose some power play time in recent games, as he goes through tough times, but to be completely removed from the power play is something else.

Mailloux, who is considered a talented offensive player, has only recorded three points in his last 17 games. It’s simply dreadful for him.

The craziest part of this story is that he will be one of the two representatives of the Rocket at the AHL All-Star Game. It’s a bit shameful for Laval, which has many players currently enjoying much more success.

Mailloux will need to find his footing soon because at this rate, there’s no chance he will receive a call-up to the Canadiens.

In brief

– The Islanders’ power play is reaching historic levels of mediocrity.

– Here’s a new podcast featuring Tyler Toffoli’s wife and Jeff Petry’s wife.

– What a funny story!

– He should be the first Quebecer drafted in 2025.

– A must listen!

The Canadiens drafted the two best available players in 2022, according to Mathias Brunet.

The 2022 draft was very exciting for Canadiens fans. The draft took place in Montreal, and it was an opportunity for Kent Hughes to make his first selections with the Canadiens, who had the very first overall pick.

We can also add that Kent Hughes made a big trade during the draft to acquire Kirby Dach. However, we will focus on the drafted players.

Mathias Brunet conducted a little exercise during his Wednesday segment on Retour des sportifs on BPM Sports by re-ranking the Canadiens players based on their respective drafts.

According to him, the Canadiens did an incredible job in 2022 by acquiring the two best players from this draft in Lane Hutson and Juraj Slafkovsky.

Even though he was selected first overall, Slafkovsky is not considered the best player of this draft class, according to Brunet. It is Hutson who holds the top spot, while the Slovakian ranks second.

Seeing the young defender’s performances this season, it’s easy to understand why Brunet reached this conclusion.

Drafted in the second round (62nd overall), Hutson played two seasons at Boston University before joining the Canadiens. He now has 37 points in just 45 games in the NHL, making him the player with the highest points-per-game average in this draft class (minimum of 10 games played).

Hutson is also capable of logging heavy minutes, even at a very young age. He already averages 22:42 of ice time per game in his rookie season!

For Slafkovsky, the outcome of this ranking by Mathias Brunet is also encouraging. Being surpassed by his teammate, who was not in direct competition for the first pick and who was a surprise, is not the end of the world.

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Brunet is aware that Logan Cooley has better current point production than Slafkovsky, but he believes that when both players reach their full potential, Slafkovsky’s size and playing style will make him a better player than Cooley.

Hutson is not the only Canadiens player who has been “re-ranked” better by Brunet. According to the BPM Sports analyst, Kaiden Guhle is the 10th best player of the 2020 draft, having been selected 16th overall.

Cole Caufield, drafted 15th overall in 2019, is now ranked sixth in his class, and Nick Suzuki, drafted 13th overall in 2017, claims the 8th spot in his draft ranking.

Kent Hughes made excellent decisions in 2022, and the future of Jacob Fowler, also drafted in 2022, could further enhance the quality of this draft for the Canadiens.

In Brief

– Fleury is an angel.

– Speaking of Lane Hutson.

– The Sabres are currently playing good hockey.

Michel Therrien believes that the Canadiens will make the playoffs this season.

The Canadiens are no longer the same team since mid-December. The mediocre roster from the start of the season is now fighting for a playoff spot.

The forwards are scoring more, the defense is stable, and the goaltenders are instilling confidence in all players with strong performances.

This has convinced former Canadiens head coach Michel Therrien that the Habs will be part of the playoffs this season. This is what he explained in an article published Wednesday night on TVA Sports’ website.

According to Therrien, the recipe for winning is to have a good atmosphere and team spirit. The players look happy right now, and for good reason! Montreal has won 10 of its last 13 games.

It is the only NHL team playing above .800 for the last 30 days.

Playing for development is good, but winning games is one of the factors that will help young players grow in the NHL. Playing to avoid last place doesn’t have the same appeal as playing for a playoff spot.

Montreal is in a very good position to make the playoffs. Before Wednesday night’s games, the Canadiens were in fourth place in the Eastern Conference wildcard standings.

(Credit: NHL.com)

The Habs are just two points behind the Blue Jackets for a playoff spot and they have a game in hand on Columbus.

Boston is also in first place among the wildcard teams with just three more points than Montreal. The problem for the Bruins is that the Canadiens have three games in hand on them. Given how the Habs are playing right now, picking up three points in three games seems like an easy task.

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To return to Michel Therrien, he enjoys seeing the players have confidence in their goaltending duo. He believes that Jakub Dobes is doing remarkable work and that Cayden Primeau probably wouldn’t have been able to win in the games where the Czech played.

Therrien even went so far as to say that the Canadiens currently have the best goaltending duo among teams in the playoff race.

Lane Hutson has received a lot of love in recent days, having collected three points in two of his last four games. Therrien is convinced that this is not a flash in the pan, and he sees the young Canadiens defenseman winning the Calder Trophy at the end of the season.

With his 35 points, Hutson is currently the leading scorer among NHL rookies. He is four points ahead of Macklin Celebrini. It’s also worth noting that he is the sixth highest-scoring defenseman in the entire NHL.

This is exactly the kind of player who has allowed the Canadiens to get back in the playoff race.

In Brief

– Michel Bergeron would like to see the Canadiens acquire more offensive reinforcements.

– Even coaches need to see a doctor.

– Hutson could replicate a feat by Bedard.

– A nice victory for Arsenal.

Career match points ratio: Hutson is at the same stage as Fox, Makar, Hughes, and Karlsson.

Canadiens fans went to bed late last night.

The game presented in Salt Lake City started at 9:10 PM (Quebec time) and ended around 11:45 PM.

But even though we had to stay up late… It was worth it, because Lane Hutson put on quite a show against AndrĂ© Tourigny’s team.

The small defenseman collected three assists in the beautiful victory for the Canadiens and extended his lead at the top of the rookie scoring leaders, ahead of Macklin Celebrini and Matvei Michkov.

Hutson has 35 points so far, while the other two each have 31.

With his game yesterday, Hutson is now averaging 0.82 points per game since the start of his career.

That’s excellent for a defenseman… Especially for a 20-year-old.

But it’s also worth noting that there are only four other defensemen (drafted after 2000 and who have played at least 40 games) who have a ratio of at least 0.8 points per game in the NHL since the beginning of their respective careers.

We’re talking about Cale Makar (1.07), Quinn Hughes (0.94), Adam Fox (0.85), and Erik Karlsson (0.81).

What a lineup:

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It’s funny, but the four defensemen named above all have something in common.

They have all won (at least) once the Norris Trophy since they started playing in the National Hockey League, and they are also the last four recipients of the trophy.

It’s crazy really:

(Credit: Google)

Seeing Lane Hutson as part of that group is certainly a good sign for the future… And it’s no coincidence that people are starting to say he will lift the Norris Trophy one day.

Hutson is the talk of the town right now:

The sample size is small, and everyone will agree on that level.

Hutson has only played 45 games in his NHL career… But at the same time, it’s hard to believe he won’t be able to improve because the talent is there.

That’s especially what is (really, really) exciting for the Canadiens and their fans.

In brief

– Speaking of Lane Hutson.

– Learn more about Connor McDavid:

– Snipe.

Emil Heineman was spotted with a cast on his right wrist.

Emil Heineman was injured after being hit by a car in Salt Lake City on Monday.

The forward was unable to play in yesterday’s game, and the Canadian team announced a recovery period of 3 to 4 weeks in his case.

However, he was spotted in Brossard today, wearing a cast on his right wrist.

The information was reported by Renaud Lavoie on the JiC show on TVA Sports.

Heineman is back in Montreal and he was in Brossard today to attend David Reinbacher’s (solo) training session.

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In the images shared by TVA Sports, it can be seen that the forward has not lost his smile.

He was lucky in his misfortune because he could have been injured even more seriously… And clearly, he is aware of it because he maintains a positive attitude.

Good for him.

Let’s also note that the player wanted to thank the people who have sent him love and support throughout this.

He wants to come back even stronger:

We don’t know exactly when he will be able to lace up his skates again and we don’t yet know the exact nature of his injury.

But seeing that he is in good shape and really seems to be doing well is all that matters right now.

Because still… It could have been worse!

Extension

I can’t wait to see when he returns if he will be able to keep up the pace.

Let’s not forget, after all, that the forward was (before getting injured) the 3rd most productive player among rookies in the NHL since December 6.

He was on a great streak.

The Canadiens are the only team in the NHL with a record above .800 over the last 30 days.

Can we say that the Canadiens are the team of the moment in the National Hockey League as we write these lines?

The answer to that question is yes.

We could even answer the question by saying: “Absolutely”!

In the last 30 days, the Canadiens are the club that has won the most games in the NHL (tied with the Dallas Stars).

The difference, however, is that the Stars (14) have played one more game than the Canadiens (13).

But where it really stands out is when we see that the Canadiens are the only club in the NHL playing above .800 for the past 30 days.

No one could have predicted that a month ago:

(Credit: StatMuse)

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There are several factors that can explain this phenomenon.

For me, these are mainly the ones that catch my attention:

  • The emergence of Lane Hutson
  • The return to play of Patrik Laine (even though he has missed some games)
  • The arrival of Alexandre Carrier
  • The performance of Monty AND Dobes
  • The awakening of Kirby Dach
  • The brilliance of the 4th line (before Emil Heineman’s injury)

But what works is the fact that the Canadiens are playing the right way.

The guys remain focused even after giving up a goal (which was not the case before), the special teams are doing the necessary work to achieve success… And Martin St-Louis has started to coach for real.

We sometimes see the Canadiens’ coach shorten his bench (like yesterday with Pezzetta) to use his best players, and we also see that he makes decisions to win. Expectations are changing after all…

All of this means that the Habs are currently fighting for a playoff spot, which was not expected at the start of the season.

At least, considering how the team performed in the first weeks of the campaign… It made sense to believe that the playoffs should be forgotten.

Tomorrow’s game will be interesting, therefore: the Dallas Stars will be on the menu, and as I mentioned at the beginning of my text, the Stars and the Habs are the only two clubs in the league that have won 10 games in the last 30 days.

It promises!

In brief

– Despite everything, the Habs must not give him any gifts tomorrow.

– He deserves it.

– Hmm. I would go with Thomas Vanek. What about you?

– Well, another thing. The LIV still seems complicated…