The Montreal Canadiens began their 2024-25 season by avenging their 2023-24 opening-night shootout loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs, with Sam Montembeault setting an NHL record with a 47-save shutout.
View the original article to see embedded media.
It was a thrilling night at the Bell Centre, and the fans had a lot to cheer about, whether it was spectacular saves, hard hits, or the Canadiens’ beginning the year with a power play goal.
Meanwhile, Lane Hutson danced around veteran players like John Tavares, showing everyone how special of a player he is.
It was a great start to the regular season after several duds to the end of the pre-season. Let’s discuss some takeaways from the 1-0 victory.
Welcome to the NHL Record Book, Sam Montembeault
According to Sportsnet, the Maple Leafs hadn’t been shut out in 227 games, a streak that stopped at the hands of the Canadiens No. 1 goalie, Montembeault.
Considering the legendary goalies in Montreal history, no one had ever recorded a 47-save shutout to start the season, leaving the 27-year starter in a class all by himself.
After finishing the regular season with a handful of subpar performances, he restored everyone’s confidence in his ability to be a top starter and be the man to lead the club back to the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Only a handful of his 47 saves were easy, but he was sharp with his gloves and pads, denying a former 69-goal scorer and another player with over 1,000 points on numerous occasions.
Although it was a team effort, the night truly belonged to Montembeault, who had one of his best nights in a Canadiens jersey.
Canadiens Ride Specials Teams to Victory
Montreal didn’t score a single power-play goal in the pre-season, and their power play, now run by head coach Martin St-Louis, were the talk of the league.
However, Cole Caufield sent the Bell Centre crowd into a frenzy with a power-play lamplighter at 7:48 of the first period, thanks to a beautiful feed from Juraj Slafkovsky and Kirby Dach.
Even though Montreal finished the night 1-for-5 on the man advantage, they got the monkey off their back less than eight minutes into the season.
Interestingly, Caufield scored the Canadiens’ first power-play goal last season in the third period of the season opener against the Maple Leafs.
Overall, it was a solid night for the special teams, as the Maple Leafs, who had the NHL’s seventh-best power-play in 2023-24, went 0-for-4 as the penalty killers did their job, and Montembeault shut the door on every scoring chance.
Lane Hutson is Going to Win the Norris Trophy Someday
Hutson played two games last season but just got to participate in his first season opener, and Wednesday night was just one of many to come. This 20-year-old may have only been in his third NHL game, but he looked like a Norris Trophy-caliber player in 18:22 of ice time.
He has confidence with the puck. Whether skating along the blueline or making a split-second decision to cut into the zone and look for a play from the corner or behind the net, the puck stayed with him despite the pressure.
He was poised under pressure and oozes a skillset other 20-year-olds can only dream about or request in video games. Every time he steps on the ice, he’s responsible at both ends and is catapulting himself to be the team’s top defenseman in short order.
If Game 1 was just a preview of things to come, Hutson will be in the Calder Trophy conversation this year and will be nominated for the Norris Trophy by the decade’s end. The future is bright.
Bookmark THN’s Montreal Canadiens site for the latest news, exclusive interviews, breakdowns, and more
