(Detroit) Of the many goals scored on deflections or scrums in front of the net, the trick to identifying the scorer is to look at who is the first player to head to the bench to receive high-fives from his teammates.
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Except that in rare exceptions, it is not the author of the goal who goes there first. Like Monday, when Brendan Gallagher opened the scoring in the fifth minute. Rather than number 11, it was number 48 who headed towards the bench, not without Gallagher summoning him to do so. After all, Lane Hutson had just obtained, in only his second appearance in the National League, his first point.
“It was much more meaningful for him than for me. So it was up to him to go there, enjoy the moment,” Gallagher said.
Despite the Canadian’s 5-4 defeat in overtime, there was a certain optimism in the locker room. Since hearing about it, players have finally seen Hutson in the flesh. We cling to the future when the present is without hope, as is the case in this third season in a row which ends with many matches without stakes. And Hutson embodies part of that future.
PHOTO RICK OSENTOSKI, USA TODAY SPORTS
Hutson receives congratulations from Joel Armia and Brendan Gallagher for his first career NHL point.
His play on Gallagher’s goal, the way he danced on the blue line while using his shoulders to confuse the opponent, was exactly the type of play we saw repeatedly in the highlights from Boston University.
Not many players can do that. As a striker, we like to see him do that, because we know that good things will come out of it.
Brendan Gallagher
In fact, Hutson delivered what was expected of him. His offensive flashes are obvious; he almost concluded his baptism in the NHL by scoring the winning goal, but Alex Lyon blocked his shot. It was his only shot of the match, in 21:54 in the box.
He finished the match at -1. The two goals scored when he was on the ice: the victory on the counter-attack after his shot, 3 on 3, and another on which he was slow to react before coming to help his partner, David Savard, around the net. If his offensive flair has never been in doubt, it is in defensive territory that he will have to silence his detractors. These discussions seem to follow, rightly or wrongly, the defenders of this style.
Defensively, Hutson “was correct”, judged Martin St-Louis, recalling that he did not expect the new kid to understand the CH defensive complex from the first evening. “We’ve been talking about it for 80 games. He gets there, it won’t be perfect. His intentions were great. I didn’t think we were vulnerable when he was there. He played a good match. »
PHOTO RICK OSENTOSKI, USA TODAY SPORTS
Lane Hutson played a good game according to Martin St-Louis, who moderated his expectations for the rookie player’s first game.
Hutson also showed a good understanding of what his teammates transmit to him. During the first commercial break, for example, he was part of a long huddle with Savard and the members of Jake Evans’ line to plan a play. The plan worked when Evans won the faceoff, and Hutson served a precise pass to Evans, who completely missed his one-timer.
“I have to execute better. He doesn’t know me well yet, he doesn’t know that I’m not the shooter on the team!, Evans joked. We laughed about it. But he played a great game.”
Defeats
That said, in the less fun apprenticeships, Hutson noted that no advance is guaranteed with this Canadian from 2023-2024. The team even led 4-1 with less than five minutes to play in the middle period, but the Wings, who were fighting for survival, chipped away at the lead little by little. For him who comes from a club which has won 71% of its matches in two years, there will be an adjustment.
Since the start of the season, the Habs have struggled to win half of their matches when they lead after one period (15-5-8). The observation is better when he leads after 40 minutes (21-0-4), but the fact remains that collapses like those of Monday can torpedo good evenings of work.
St-Louis, however, was not going to vilify its men in public. What could they have done to avoid bringing a rather subdued Little Caesars Arena back to life in the first 35 minutes?
“It would have been fun to maybe have a numerical advantage,” he suggested. We didn’t get any calls tonight. You’re up by three, their season is on the line, they’re starting to have a push, they’re doing things that wouldn’t be done in a close game. It’s part of the process. In the future, we will be in more of these situations. »
PHOTO PAUL SANCYA, ASSOCIATED PRESS
Samuel Montembeault stops Dylan Larkin’s shot.
Gallagher was more critical. “They were sure to be starving. It’s not necessarily about playing with the same desperation as them, because we want to respect our style and we did it well at the start of the match. It’s understanding how to protect the lead. You have to manage the risk, but you still have to apply pressure. They entered our zone too easily and that’s where they are dangerous. »
“We have to correct the mistakes,” continued the veteran. We do good things, but it would be nice to have rewards. »
Hutson just spent two years getting those accolades most of the time, whether at Boston University or the World Junior Championship. It remains to be seen whether the Habs’ recovery plan will work quickly enough for them to quickly start getting them again in the NHL.
Rising: Jake Evans
Three assists in the defeat, to bring his total points this season to 28. He is only missing one to equal his personal high, established in 2021-2022.
Down: Michael Pezzetta
He received the only penalty of the game, and aside from an ill-advised offside, we rarely saw him cross the offensive blue line.
The number of the match: 0
No penalties were awarded to the Red Wings. This is the third time in the last four games that the Habs have not obtained a numerical advantage in a match.
In details
Gallagher finishes strong
Players excluded from the playoffs often talk about the importance of finishing the calendar in style, individually or collectively, in order to give themselves the chance to bounce back the following season. If this is indeed a truth and not magical thinking, Brendan Gallagher has reason to be optimistic for 2024-2025. With his two goals on Monday, he has eight points (four goals, four assists) in his last seven games. Here he is with 15 goals, as many as in the last two seasons combined. “Honestly, I generally felt like I played well this season. I had a period in the middle of the season where that was less the case, where I moved away from my identity, but I never lost confidence in my abilities. There are always solutions. I have fun with [Alex] Newhook and [Joel] Armia. They help me a lot and I try to complement them. »
Kane still has it
If there was an award for comeback of the year, it would have to be given to Patrick Kane. The veteran and three-time Stanley Cup winner proved that once his hip issues were resolved, he could still be one of the NHL’s dangerous forwards. His pass on JT Compher’s second goal was his 47e point in 49 games this season. Kane also looked like the dynamic forward from 10 years ago in the third period, when he started spinning like a NASCAR car in the offensive zone. His first shot hit the post; his second was blocked by Samuel Montembeault. Before the game, Martin St-Louis tipped his hat to his former rival in the NHL and the Olympic Games. “Guys like that, once they get healthy, it’s like they haven’t missed any time. They are such good players, so intelligent, they understand how to use their teammates. I’m not surprised,” said the Canadian head coach.
A defender who has a dog
Moritz Seider is not yet as talked about as other of his peers in the NHL, but if the Red Wings sneak into the playoffs, the young German will benefit from a nice platform. It’s because he’s not just offensive, despite his 41 points. He also has a nasty side that can damn an opponent over a seven-game series. Cole Caufield knows something about this, he who was slammed by Seider after beating him for a puck in the corner. Seider also finished the game with six hits, for a total of 207 this season. Speaking of villains, Ben Chiarot didn’t hold back either, even though he was facing his old friends. Caufield notably tasted his medicine, and Juraj Slafkovsky, who however never played with Chiarot, quarreled a few times with the colossus spoiled by nature.
Guillaume Lefrançois, The Press