Canadiens' Lane Hutson makes his feelings known after scoring first NHL goal during loss to Jets

By ARJUN B

Modified Dec 15, 2024 05:24 GMT

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Rookie defenseman Lane Hutson found a silver lining in the Montreal Canadiens' 4-2 loss to the Winnipeg Jets on Saturday night. While the loss dropped the struggling Canadiens to 11-16-3 on the season, Hutson scored his first NHL goal, giving Montreal a 1-0 lead in the first period.

On scoring his first goal in the competition, Huston said:

"It's pretty special; you never know when it's going to be your last goal or your first goal so it's cool for sure but I would have loved to score it and won the game so hopefully we can do that soon."

The 20-year-old blueliner wristed a shot from the left face-off dot that beat Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck glove side at the 7:48 mark of the opening frame. Hutson has 20 points through 30 games this season.

However, Winnipeg responded with goals from Gabriel Vilardi, Adam Lowry and Hellebuyck in the first two periods to go up 3-1. Josh Anderson brought the Canadiens back within one at 8:00 of the third period, but Vladislav Namestnikov sealed the Jets' win with an empty-netter in the final minute.

Hutson was drafted by Montreal in the second round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. On his teammates' reactions to his first NHL goal, Hutson said:

"These guys have accepted me right from the start, have been nothing but great to me. For me it's like a group of brothers and some dads too cause we got some older guys..."

Montreal is last in the Atlantic Division as it continues to struggle through a difficult season.

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Canadiens HC Martin St. Louis praises Lane Hutson after scoring first NHL goal

Coach Martin St. Louis had high praise for rookie forward Lane Hutson after he netted his first career NHL goal.

"I think it's been a while that everyone's been talking about (him not scoring), but I had no doubt Lane Hutson was going to score goals in this league," St. Louis said (per Sportsnet). "It was fun to see him get one tonight."

Hutson is averaging nearly 23 minutes of ice time per game. While the Canadiens eventually came up short against the Jets, St. Louis was encouraged by his team's effort:

"It was a hard-fought battle; I'm proud of our group. We played hard coming off a tough 3rd period at home (last game), so it's very encouraging."

Montreal will look to bounce back on Thursday when it hosts the Buffalo Sabres at the Centre Bell.