After a 1-0 win in the shootout over Columbus in their first shootout of the season, the New York Rangers look to continue to build momentum as they visit the Montreal Canadiens.
The Rangers (22-20-3) have won two games in a row, four of five and have points in seven straight (5-0-2). Meaning, New York improved to 5-0-2 in its last seven games and 6-1-2 overall in January.
But in order to continue this streak and hopefully qualify for playoffs, they will need to get through a sunday night matchup on the road against the Montreal Canadiens.
Let's take a look at who is the opposing team's player to watch ahead of the Jan. 19 matchup.
Lane Hutson
Lane Hutson's professional career recently began when he signed his entry-level contract with the Montreal Canadiens on April 12, 2024 — less than a calendar year ago. The defenseman and native of Holland, Michigan, was chosen as pick No. 62 in the 2022 NHL Draft. He had an assist in his league debut, a 5-4 overtime loss at the Detroit Red Wings, merely three days after signing with the Canadiens.
Just last month, he was named Rookie of the Month for December 2024 after scoring 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 14 games. He led rookies during the month in assists (11), power-play assists (seven), power-play points (seven), average time on ice (21:18) and total time on ice (298:07).
He nabbed his first career goal only a month ago against Winnipeg.
In the Canadiens most recent game on Saturday against Toronto, Hutson had a power-play assist, four blocked shots, two PIM and a minus-5 rating. The significance of this is that it extended his point streak to seven games. The 20-year-old matched the franchise record for longest point streak by a rookie defenseman. The dynamic Hutson has one goal and 10 assists (four on the power play) during his latest scoring binge. He had done a nice job whittling away at what was a minus-16 rating as recently as Dec. 20;
Lane Hutson tonight:
— StatMuse Hockey (@statmusehockey) January 19, 2025
1 assist
4 blocks
-5 plus/minus
The lowest plus/minus he’s had in a game this season. pic.twitter.com/xuxQGWlbX8
How to Tune In
New York travels to Montreal to take on the Canadians for Sunday's matchup, with puck drop slated for 7:00 p.m. EST. The match will be available via Fubo.
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