On Tuesday, the Canadiens’ defenceman was named NHL Rookie of the Month for March, and later that night, he assisted on all three Montreal goals in a 3-2 overtime win over the Florida Panthers at the Bell Centre.
This victory marked the Canadiens’ fourth straight win this season against the defending Stanley Cup champions, an impressive feat.
The assists were the 55th, 56th, and 57th of the season for the young star, surpassing Chris Chelios’ previous franchise record of 55 assists by a rookie set during the 1984-85 season. The record for most assists by a Canadiens defenceman is 66, set by Larry Robinson in the 1976-77 season, and with eight games left in the regular season, it’s clear Hutson could break that too.
Meanwhile, Panthers defenceman Niko Mikkola, who had been fined US$5,000 by the NHL for a reckless shot at the Canadiens during a previous game, managed to score Florida’s opening goal midway through the first period. Despite this, Mikkola faced plenty of attention from Montreal players, including some targeted hits from Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson. The Bell Centre crowd made sure to boo Mikkola every time he touched the puck, though they nearly forgot about former Boston nemesis Brad Marchand, now playing for Florida.
In other news, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice was denied his 915th career win, which would have moved him past Barry Trotz into third place for most career victories. Maurice and Florida will try again on Wednesday against Toronto.
As for the Canadiens, they were just 8.4 seconds from leaving the game without any points, but their overtime win allowed them to maintain their hold on the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference with 79 points, two ahead of the Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers. The Blue Jackets hold a game in hand.
The game wasn’t without drama, as A.J. Greer collided with teammate Nico Sturm early on, leading to Sturm heading to the dressing room after clutching his head. Florida had a slow start, generating only one shot in the first eight minutes, and Jake Evans’ faceoff loss led to Mikkola’s deflected shot finding the back of the net. Additionally, a potential second Florida goal in the first period was waved off after video review determined Greer had kicked the puck in with his skate.
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