Canadiens getting big efforts from 'smaller' players

Montreal Canadiens players celebrate a goal by teammate Cole Caufield, hidden, during third period NHL hockey action in Montreal, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Graham Hughes, The Canadian Press)

Martin St. Louis faced years of rejection before the Tampa Bay Lightning took a chance on him and opened the door for what became a Hall of Fame career.

The 5-foot-8 St. Louis was written off as too small and the Montreal Canadiens head coach takes pride that his success has paved the way for a future generation.

The Canadiens defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1at the Bell Centre Saturday to run their record to 2-1 and two of those players who might have been dismissed as too small have made big contributions to the NHL team's early success.

Cole Caufield, a 5-foot-8 sniper, scored twice against Ottawa. He has scored in each of Montreal's three games and has four goals on the season. He was named the first star of the game but he wanted to talk about the second star, rookie defenceman Lane Hutson.

"It's crazy the way he's been able to stay poised in certain situations, with multiple guys on him," said Caufield. "It looks like he's always in control He's pretty special and we're really lucky to have a guy like that."

St. Louis rated Hutson's level of deception as "very high."

Hutson, who stands a shade under 5-foot-10 and weighs only 162 pounds, set scoring records for defencemen with the U.S. National Team Development Program and was an all-American in two seasons at Boston University, slipped to the late second round (62nd overall) in the 2022 NHL entry draft because there were questions about his defensive play.

"People knew he had offensive skills and could drive the play but, because he had the puck so much, nobody knew whether he could play defence," said St. Louis. "He's proving that he can play defence, that he's not just a guy for the power play."

Hutson has been a top-four defenceman and has not been the ice for any of the seven goals the Canadiens have surrendered this season.

Hutson set up Alex Newhook for Saturday's prettiest goal and has five assists in five games going back to a two-game audition last season after completing his collegiate career.

"It's a good measuring stick to know what to expect," Hutson said of a season-opening schedule that featured games against division rivals Toronto, Boston and Ottawa.

"Those aren't easy teams to play and it definitely helps my confidence," said Hutson. "It's good to get into a flow and continue to learn and take steps here.

"My game is going to evolve and become whatever it needs to be," added Hutson. "It's nice that some things are working and I'm also learning what doesn't work."

Rookie Emil Heineman scored the other Montreal goal with one second remaining in a power play for his first NHL marker. The Canadiens ranked 27th on the power play last season but have scored a power-play goal In each of their three regular-season games.

The Canadiens did a good job of stopping Brady Tkachuk who had one shot on goal and had two others blocked. Tim Stutzle scored the lone Ottawa goal, his third of the season.

Sam Montembeault, who is in the conversation for a spot on Team Canada at next year's Four Nations competition, made 24 saves to run his record to 2-0.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2024.