Hutson stepping up for injury-hit Canadiens

Martin St. Louis has come to expect dazzling play from Lane Hutson night after night.

But even by those lofty standards, Hutson raised the bar Tuesday.

The shifty defenceman scored a goal and set up another with a breathtaking assist as the Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres 4-3 in a shootout after blowing a two-goal lead.

“His competitiveness is always there, and I thought his offensive touches … were excellent,” St. Louis said. “He had his fastball.”

Hutson answered Buffalo’s opening goal with a wrist shot past a screened Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen on a five-on-three power play to tie the game at 14:28 of the first period.

The 22-year-old American showcased his awe-inspiring skill again late in the second, drawing three Sabres skaters before sliding a no-look backhand pass to Josh Anderson, who fired into the gaping net with 50 seconds remaining in the period.

“I had a free shot,” Anderson said. “And luckily all I had to do was put it on net.”

Hutson logged a team-high 27:07 in ice time, including 2:40 during three-on-three overtime, when he raced up and down the ice in search of a winner.

The Canadiens leaned on the 5-foot-9, 162-pound defenceman even more than usual with veteran blueliner Mike Matheson nursing a lower-body injury.

Hutson was more than happy to oblige. Having gained a reputation as a “rink rat,” he rarely passes up a chance to skate, even on Canadiens off days.

“I just try to go as hard as I can all the time,” Hutson said. “Sometimes I just feel good.”

“We all pride ourselves on defending hard,” he added. “Mike goes down for a few days, or whatever it is, guys got to step up and I feel like everyone together just did a little bit more.”

Kaiden Guhle certainly picked up the slack. The hard-hitting defenceman took over Matheson’s spot alongside Alexandre Carrier and logged 25:25 in his second game of the season.

The oft-injured 24-year-old is a strong skater who brings a physical edge and defensive reliability to a Canadiens blue line built around puck movers.

After making his season debut Saturday following an off-season adductor injury, Guhle reminded his teammates – and coach – of the impact he can have.

“He’s been huge,” Anderson said. “He’s a big presence for us on the back end, he loves to take the body. Good job in the D-zone and kills plays quickly. Whenever he goes in the lineup, he gives a huge boost.”

“When Guhle is going, he can eat up a lot of minutes,” St. Louis said. “Just with the way he plays, the way he covers ice, and there’s a lot of consistency in his play. You feel pretty good when he’s on the ice.”

Cole Caufield also had a goal and an assist as Montreal edged Buffalo in the teams’ first meeting since the Canadiens eliminated the Sabres in the second round of last spring’s playoffs.

Montreal outshot Buffalo 38-17, and the game wouldn’t have been close if not for the Sabres striking twice in 61 seconds with goals from Josh Norris and Olen Zellweger early in the third period.

“It’s great getting the win, but you can’t show up for a third period that casual,” Hutson said. “I feel like we just got to keep pushing and not allow them to have their push.”

All three Buffalo goals came from point shots that deflected off Canadiens players, including defenceman Adam Engstrom twice.

“The two goals in the third hurt,” St. Louis said. “We’ll look at that, we’ll try to correct that.”

How?

“You have to block shots from up high, then you have to box out better and tie up stick down low,” the coach added bluntly. “Very simple.”