A setback: the CH is hoping Lane Hutson is okay this morning

What would be the Canadiens' worst nightmare in the playoffs?

Every fan has their own answer. But we can all agree that seeing Lane Hutson get injured (or at least not be close to 100%) is among the top concerns for all fans.

He's truly that important.

Yesterday, Canadiens fans held their breath during overtime over this very issue. Why? Because Lane Hutson took a hit to the knee from Taylor Hall.

And the Canadiens defenseman didn't look happy… #Obviously

Lane Hutson wasn't happy after Taylor Hall stuck out his knee on a hit along the boards during OT pic.twitter.com/43zFbRFbP2

— /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) May 24, 2026

We agree that the hit wasn't ideal. But we can't say it was the dirtiest hit we've ever seen in our lives either.

Has Hall, who's no stranger to questionable hits in the playoffs (Travis Sanheim, Jake Sanderson), lost the benefit of the doubt? Some fans are asking that question.

Suuure. There's a pattern here. Hall took out Sanderson, Sanheim, and now Hutson. Believe what you want, man, but that was a sneaky dirty hit—and not surprising given who it came from.

— Hey now (@1967Hey) May 24, 2026

But in any case, right now, Martin St-Louis shouldn't be wondering whether the hit was legal or whether Lane Hutson did enough to protect himself under the circumstances.

He must be praying to heaven that his star player is okay this morning.

Because even if Hutson didn't look like the most battered guy yesterday, the fact remains that this morning, there's still a chance he's in bad shape.

And the Habs can't exactly afford to see the defenseman lose his mobility—or even afford to do without his services. Ask the Avalanche if it's easy playing without Cale Makar…

overtime

Don't expect to see the Habs making headlines this morning. The plan is for the players to return to Montreal to rest up for Game 3, which takes place tomorrow night at 8 p.m.

The flight is scheduled for 11 a.m. this morning.