The Montreal Canadiens came to play at the Bell Centre on April Fools ’ Day. The visiting Florida Panthers looked anything but the Stanley Cup Champions in the first period, and the Habs set the tone early. Even though the Cats had already lost three times to Montreal this season, they looked like they weren’t expecting what hit them…until the start of the second frame, that is.

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There’s No Fear In Hutson

Lane Hutson got his 55th assist of the season in the first frame, equaling Chris Chelios for the most assists by a rookie defenseman with the Tricolore, a mark set in 1984-85. That was also his 60th point of the season, and he became only the 10th rookie defenseman in NHL history to achieve the feat. However, he wasn’t done for the night, as he added another two assists to his name to finish the night with 57. He now needs three more assists to tie Larry Murphy’s league record for most assists by a rookie defenseman.

As weird as it seems to say, we’ve come to expect this from the rookie blueliner now, but the play that impressed me the most was seeing the 162-pound player skate in the corner to retrieve the puck knowing full well that 209-pound AJ Greer was coming at full speed to crush him into the boards.

Not so long ago, we saw Ottawa Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot back away from a puck when he saw Josh Anderson closing in on him. Chabot isn’t 162 pounds; he’s 203 pounds and a 28-year-old veteran. The Canadiens’ 20-year-old rearguard knows no fear.

A Big Second Period For Montembeault

There have been games where Samuel Montembeault has looked exhausted lately, but not in that one. The netminder made several big saves in the second stanza to keep Montreal in the game.

In fact, after 40 minutes, he had surrendered two goals, but neither of them came from the Panthers’ sticks; they were both deflected, the first by Jake Evans and the second by Kaiden Guhle. From five shots in the first, Florida went to 13 in the second, while the Canadiens could only muster seven, spending much of their time stuck in their own zone.

Montembeault got another nine shots in the final frame but held the fort and ultimately gave his team a chance to win, which they did.

The Terminator?

It’s hard not to be impressed by Nick Suzuki’s game. He added another two points to his name tonight to set a new career high with 79, but what’s even more impressive is the knack he has for being in the right place at the right time.

No one will say otherwise about the equalizing goal, which came from a lucky bounce. Martin St-Louis, however, mentioned that he had the presence of mind to hang by the back post there. Perhaps, like one of the greatest players to ever play the game, he knows where the puck will be, not just where it is.

When the coach was asked which qualities make his captain the player that he is, he replied:

Oh, he’s got an elite computer, you know. His software is high-end, obviously, and he’s got all the tools to do what his brain tells him to do, you know, so he’s very connected that way. Tonight I felt you saw that on many occasions. I think he’s a proud guy, and he wants to lead this team, and he’s doing that.

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That’s an accurate description from the coach, and perhaps we should start calling Suzuki the Terminator, considering how he ended the game tonight.

With this 3-2 overtime win, the Canadiens remain in the second wild card spot, even though the Columbus Blue Jackets signed an 8-4 victory over the Nashville Predators tonight. Montreal has a two-point lead over the Ohio outfit, but the Jackets do have a game in hand. As for the New York Islanders, they lost in regulation and find themselves trailing the Canadiens by five points. The New York Rangers were inactive and remain two points behind the Habs, while the Detroit Red Wings trail them by four points. 

According to Moneypuck, the Canadiens now have a 50.1% chance of making the Spring dance, they have the Rangers at 26.2%, the Blue Jackets at 18.8%, the Red Wings at 3.7% and the Islanders at 2.9%.

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