- Lane Hutson took a knee from Taylor Hall along the boards in overtime
- He slammed his stick, limped off, and Ehlers won it on the next shift
- Read below for the video and the Game 3 stakes for Montreal
The Canadiens already lost Game 2. They might have lost more than that.
In overtime, with the score tied 2-2, Taylor Hall came in for a big hit on Lane Hutson along the boards and stuck his knee out at the wrong time. Hutson saw it coming and tried to spin away, but his leg ate most of the impact. The 21-year-old defenseman crashed to the ice and stayed down for a beat before climbing to his feet.
He was furious. Hutson slammed his stick on the boards, limped to the bench, and slammed the door behind him.
Anthony Martineau of TVA Sports posted the video:
The hit happened on Hall’s only shift of overtime. Nikolaj Ehlers scored the OT winner for Carolina on the very next shift, evening the series at 1-1.
Reporters didn’t ask Martin St. Louis about Hutson during his postgame availability, and he didn’t offer an update on his own. That silence is the part hanging over Montreal heading into Game 3 Monday at the Bell Centre.
There is no replacing Hutson. He has been Montreal’s engine all postseason.
Hutson leads the team in ice time, sits second behind Nick Suzuki with 14 points in 16 games, and his 12 assists are the most by any NHL defenseman this spring. TVA’s Patrick Guillet went straight to the comparison Habs fans don’t want to hear:
Translation: think Cale Makar and the Avalanche. Colorado has been a different team without their best defenseman, and they are now two losses from going home. Montreal can’t afford the same script.
Game 3 is Monday night at 8 p.m. ET. Until then, the Habs are waiting on medical updates, and so is everyone else.
