Pre-WWC match: Lane Hutson puts on a show against Canada

With the CMJ just around the corner, the various teams are putting the finishing touches to their preparations. And today, we were treated to a preparatory duel between Canada and the United States for a taste of what’s to come at CMJ.

Of course, a match between the two rivals is always interesting, but for Habs fans, it was even more special considering that three of the club’s top prospects were in attendance. Owen Beck, Lane Hutson and Jacob Fowler were all in uniform for their respective teams, with Fowler even getting the start.

Beck was the center of the third trio, while Hutson was on the third pair of defensemen.

As you know: Lane Hutson doesn’t need much to make a spectacle of himself. And this afternoon, it wasn’t until his second appearance on the ice that he performed a little magic.

Following a (slightly risky) pivot in his zone, he shrugged off Owen Beck’s forecheck and made a major-league pass to Quinn Finley, who beat goalie Mathis Rousseau.

What a pass, seriously.

On the other hand, things were a little more difficult for Jacob Fowler. He had some good moments, but looked rather weak on the two goals he conceded.

Here they are, respectively scored by Macklin Celebrini and Conor Geekie.

At least Fowler could count on the help of his teammates, as the U.S. scored two more goals to regain the lead.

Ryan Leonard’s fine goal was his team’s third.

Afterwards, Fowler gave way to Trey Augustine, while Mathis Rousseau did the same with Samuel St-Hilaire. And the other good news for Fowler was that his partner didn’t do much better than him. Several goals later on both sides, the score was 5-5 midway through the third period.

Owen Beck picked up an assist on this goal:

Augustine’s uninspiring performance means that, despite a slightly tougher outing, Fowler clearly hasn’t lost any points in the battle for the #1 goalkeeping position.

Augustine is probably still the favorite, but it’s been very difficult for him since the start of the pre-WWC games.

Late in the third period, Owen Beck’s trio completely dominated possession of the puck. The two clubs began to mix it up quite a bit.

After 60 minutes, the score was still 5-5, so overtime (3-on-3) was needed.

And who better to score the winning goal than Lane Hutson? He snatched the puck from Owen Beck’s stick and unleashed a magnificent shot to give his side the win.

Victory for the United States, 6-5.

This concludes both teams’ preparatory schedule for the WJC. Both teams will begin their tournament on December 26, when Canada takes on Finland, while the U.S. faces Norway.

In brief

– We continue to monitor the health of Tanner Molendyk and Tristan Luneau. Both did not play today.

– Indeed.

Enjoy!

A text from @GagnonFrancoishttps://t.co/LLBrX2YpFD

– RDS (@RDSca) December 23, 2023

– Leo Carlsson should be back in action by the end of the season. He seems to have avoided the worst.

– Trevor Zegras is back in action tonight.

– In a tumultuous season for the Suns, here’s a veteran openly complaining about his role.

– Ouch.