The Montreal Canadiens boast the youngest roster not only in the Stanley Cup Playoffs but in the entire NHL. While their presence alone is a remarkable accomplishment, their inexperience is beginning to show in their series against the Washington Capitals. After dropping the first two games, head coach Martin St. Louis shared an honest message about Lane Hutson and the rest of the Canadiens’ youthful core.
After a magical regular season, during which the Habs far exceeded expectations, Montreal has been in for a rude awakening at the hands of the Capitals, and the league’s all-time leading goalscorer, Ovechkin.
The Canadiens dropped the opening games of the series in the USA’s capital—tight matchups where their lack of playoff experience may have been the key difference. Now, as the series shifts north to the City of Saints, St. Louis and the Habs will look to spark momentum on home ice.
It won’t be easy—but Calder Trophy favorite Lane Hutson and the young, fearless Canadiens wouldn’t have it any other way. Ahead of Friday night’s Game 3 at Bell Centre, head coach Martin St. Louis shared an honest reflection on the Stanley Cup Playoff series so far.
“These were two games where you can’t buy that experience for our players,” Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis admitted, per NHL.com. “We battled, there were moments that hurt us, they cost us the game. But the team doesn’t give up, we had a lot of chances in the third to maybe repeat what happened Monday and go to overtime.”
Low-event matchups
The Canadiens have struggled to build an up-tempo playstyle so far. It seems the Habs are adjusting to the Capitals‘ groundrules, unable to assert their dominance. Montreal has put on series of good shifts, but the team has looked fragile when the top lines were on the bench.
Lane Hutson, who finished his rookie season with 66 points, is currently leading the team with 2 postseason points, yet they aren’t enough for the Canadiens to put any pressure on the Capitals.
Hutson’s inexperience surfaced in Game 1, when a costly miscommunication left Alex Ovechkin—of every threat in the Capitals’ lineup—wide open in the crease. The league’s all-time leading goal scorer didn’t miss, burying the game-winner and handing the Habs a painful lesson.
Not satisfied
The Canadiens are content with their incredible growth throughout the 2024-25 NHL season, but they’d be lying if they said they haven’t dreamt of a magical run, in hopes of their first Stanley Cup since 1993.
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The Canadiens and Capitals now shift to Montreal, where the home side will look to find its footing and claw back into the fight—desperate to avoid a 3-0 hole that could very well spell the end of their postseason run.