Habs rookie Lane Hutson makes his feelings known about scoring against Quinn Hughes in OT win  

Habs rookie Lane Hutson is having a standout season in his rookie year with the Montreal Canadiens.

The 20-year-old defenseman made a significant impact during the team's 5-4 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks on Monday, where he recorded three points, including his first goal on home ice.

Notably, the overtime win also marked the Canadiens' first of 2025. With the game tied at 3-3 in the third period, Hutson's shot deflected off Quinn Hughes' skate and went past Canucks goalie Kevin Lankinen, giving Montreal a 4-3 lead.

After the game, Hutson reflected on his performance and expressed admiration for Hughes, noting the respect he has for the Canucks captain's intelligence and skill on the ice.

Yeah, definitely, I have so much respect to the way he plays, how smart he is, and I can go on about how good of a player he is. And, yeah, it's definitely pretty cool kind of have an impact," Hutson said.

With his three-point night, Lane Hutson leads all defensemen rookies with 30 points (three goals and 27 assists) in 40 games. He's on pace for 62 points as a rookie defenseman and has accumulated the sixth most points among all defensemen in the NHL.

Lane Hutson shines as Montreal Canadiens move to Wild Card spot

On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Vancouver Canucks 5-4 in overtime. The Habs now have 41 points with a record of 19-18-3 in 40 games.

With the win, they have moved into the second spot in the Wild Card standings in the Eastern Conference. Apart from Hutson, Nick Suzuki collected three points (including the game-winner in OT), while Cole Caufield accumulated two points for the Habs.

"We’re learning how to come back in games and when you start bleeding you’ve got to figure out how to stop it,” Caufield said via NHL.com. “I think we’ve had times in the past where we just kind of let it get away, but I thought it was a huge, mature game from our group tonight, and especially huge for the fans.”

Goaltender Sam Montembeault made 16 saves and posted a .800 SV% for the Canadiens on the night. Lane Hutson and Co. travel to Capital One Arena to face the Washington Capitals (26-10-4) next on Friday.

The puck is scheduled to drop at 7:00 p.m. ET.