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Without the goals allowed in an empty net, Lane Hutson would have a positive differential
Kevin Vallée
Without the goals allowed in an empty net, Lane Hutson would have a positive differential
Credit: How many times is it repeated, in a season, that a player’s differential is a statistic that includes too many unpredictable factors (and few quick ways to verify them) to take it completely seriously? A lot, but not too much. We have the perfect example today. Eric Engels permitted himself the exercise to demystify Lane […]

How many times is it repeated, in a season, that a player’s differential is a statistic that includes too many unpredictable factors (and few quick ways to verify them) to take it completely seriously?

A lot, but not too much. We have the perfect example today.

Eric Engels permitted himself the exercise to demystify Lane Hutson’s differential of -9, which constantly serves as an argument for all casual fans of opposing teams who have never watched the Habs’ defender play, to prove that he is “not good in his zone”.

There are two observations, and the first leads directly to the second.

  1. Lane Hutson was on the ice for all the goals that Montreal allowed this season, a total of thirteen
  2. Without empty nets (and the one in favor of the Habs), Hutson would have a positive differential of +3

In the category that counts, namely 5-on-5, Hutson has a record of +6.

Not bad for a one-dimensional defender with a team that wins 46.5% of its games and has given up 26 more goals than it has scored this season… and who plays 22 minutes and 30 seconds per game since the beginning of the year.

Bad news for the Habs’ payroll: Lane Hutson will finish the year with 60 points, while being VERY correct defensively, for a 20/21-year-old defender who measures 5 feet 9.

Good news for the Habs: he risks being good in the blue-red-white for a very, very long time.


Overtime

Another very interesting statistic to take with a grain of salt was published by RDS this morning. The Habs had three sequences where they were the 31st worst team in the league for three sequences (unequal) of games, and two sequences (longer) where they were the 2nd best team in the league.

Okay. The samples are what they are, but they still show that Montreal has lined up two different teams this year. And the bad version arrives at the wrong time…

Let’s hope for a little more consistency in 2025-2026… And let’s wish that the team’s intra-division successes continue.

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