NHL: Montreal Canadiens at New York Islanders - Source: Imagn — Lane Hutson calls Canadiens’ slow starts "unacceptable" after fourth straight loss (Source: Imagn)

Rookie Lane Hutson makes his thoughts extremely clear on Canadiens' first-period struggles after fourth straight loss

Modified Mar 28, 2025 04:30 GMT

Lane Hutson and Montreal Canadiens lost their fourth straight game on Thursday, falling 6-4 to the Philadelphia Flyers at Wells Fargo Center. The Canadiens have struggled to start games well, and rookie defenseman Hutson addressed it after the loss.

Philadelphia, under new coach Brad Shaw, took control early. Matvei Michkov and Sean Couturier registered two goals and an assist each. Nicolas Deslauriers and Tyson Foerster also netted, while goalie Samuel Ersson made 26 saves. The Canadiens got goals from Alex Newhook, Cole Caufield, Christian Dvorak and Patrik Laine but couldn't recover from their slow start.

The Flyers opened the scoring at 1:55 of the first period. Montreal tied it at 7:55, but Philadelphia quickly pulled ahead. By the end of the first, the Flyers led 3-1. The Canadiens couldn't close the gap despite scoring in the third period.

Lane Hutson talked about the team’s first-period struggles. He admitted that he was unsure of the reason but called it unacceptable (7:11).

"Honestly, I’m not entirely sure. But, you know, we all know one thing—that's just not us," Hutson said. "We just have to find a way to start on time. I think it's pretty unacceptable to not be ready to play. We all just have to be better and be ready to play."

Hutson also spoke about the pressure of competing for a playoff spot. He said that it shouldn't change their approach.

"Yeah, I don’t think there’s a whole lot of difference. I mean, when you’re in the spot, you want to hold it, and you also want to chase the next spot. But right now, we’re in a position where we just have to stop the bleeding and try to win some games."

Montreal's next game is on Friday against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Lane Hutson is leading the rookie standings with 56 points

Lane Hutson is leading the NHL rookie points leaderboard with 56 points. That's two more than Philadelphia Flyers' Matvei Michkov and four more than San Jose Sharks' Macklin Celebrini.

Hutson is the fifth rookie defenseman in NHL history to record 50 assists in a season. He achieved the landmark during the Canadiens’ game against the Flyers. Hutson joins Stefan Persson, Larry Murphy, Chris Chelios and Gary Suter on the illustrious list.

Hutson is the first rookie defenseman to do so in 39 years. With 11 games left, he's projected to reach 57 assists per ESPN. Hutson has five goals and 51 assists in 71 games. His strong season makes him a top Calder Trophy candidate.

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