Canadiens steal two points with late-game heroics: ‘We weren’t very good’

MONTREAL — Lane Hutson took a pass at centre ice and saw an opening.

The shifty Montreal Canadiens defenceman burst past the Florida Panthers’ defence, dragged goaltender Daniil Tarasov out of his crease and set up Nick Suzuki for the “easiest goal” of his career, tying the game with 21 seconds left in an eventual 4-3 shootout win Tuesday night.

“Some late-game heroics,” Suzuki said. “Hell of a play there to take it by himself and create something late.”

It’s the type of play Hutson has made routinely since arriving in Montreal, including a similar dramatic connection with Suzuki against the Panthers last April.

It also masked a lacklustre effort, by their own admission, from the playoff-bound Canadiens.

“We weren’t very good,” Suzuki said bluntly. “To win that is big for the standings, but we know we’ve got to be a lot better the last few games of the regular season.”

“It started with my line. I was pretty brutal all night,” he added. “A bit too casual. I thought we were kind of soft as a group.”

The usually dominant top line of Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky struggled to generate momentum early, with the Canadiens managing just one shot in the game’s first 15 minutes against a depleted Panthers side missing half its regular lineup.

The second period featured a parade of icings from Montreal, coming off a disappointing 3-0 defeat to the New Jersey Devils on Sunday.

“In the last two games we’ve been flat,” coach Martin St. Louis said. “We found a way to win tonight and stay in the race, and maybe it will help us get out of this flat sequence.”

“I feel we have a group that when they put their mind to it, and they decide let’s go, I feel like we can get it done with the talent that we have,” he added. “I don’t know if we deserve the two points, but maybe it makes up for some of the games that you play well and you get nothing.”

Caufield and Alexandre Texier scored in the shootout while Jakub Dobes stopped both attempts to secure the win.

The Canadiens (46-22-10) tied Tampa Bay and Buffalo atop the Atlantic Division at 102 points with four games remaining on the regular-season calendar, starting with an anticipated visit from the Lightning on Thursday.

Caufield’s pursuit of his 50th goal — something no Canadien has done in 36 years — continues to loom large. Teammates keep looking for the sharpshooter, who remained stuck on 49 for a third straight game, while fans rise in anticipation each time he hops over the boards.

“It’s Montreal, it’s the market,” said veteran centre Phillip Danault, who scored for the first time in 15 games. “If I was on his line, I would do the same thing. I would look for him every time … Just simplify things, and the puck will find him like it has all season.”

St. Louis, a former league MVP, could relate to Caufield and his linemates gripping sticks a little tight with the milestone so close.

“I understand what he’s going through, and you can talk about it however you want, but it’s hard not to be absorbed by it,” St. Louis said. “It’s normal. It’s to try as best as you can to not think about it, but it’s difficult as a player.”

With the top line out of sync for much of the night, Ivan Demidov stepped up with a power-play goal and helped drive Montreal’s offence.

The 20-year-old Russian winger — who arrived in Montreal to a hero’s welcome last year — leads all rookies with 61 points (18 goals, 43 assists) in 78 games.

“Pure skill, electric,” Danault said. “He’s going to be among the (Nikita) Kucherovs and more. He’s going be a really special player, he already is.

“His confidence, his strength, his dedication, his intelligence on the ice. He’s an exceptional player. It won’t be long until it’s considered an honour to play with him.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 8, 2026.