MONTREAL — Nick Suzuki doesn’t think the Montreal Canadiens’ winning run — and run of good fortune — is a coincidence.
The team’s captain has another reason to believe after Tuesday’s wild finish.
"We all believe in the ‘hockey gods,’” Suzuki said. “Keep doing the right things, and bounces will come.”
Suzuki scored the game-tying goal in unsuspecting fashion with 8.4 seconds remaining in regulation. He followed with the winner on a wraparound 29 seconds into overtime as the roof nearly blew off the Bell Centre in a 3-2 win over the Florida Panthers.
The Canadiens looked down and out, trailing 2-1 in a third period dominated by the defending Stanley Cup champions with 30 seconds on the clock and a defensive zone faceoff after an icing.
A won puck battle in the corner led to a quick breakout up ice. Rookie defenceman Lane Hutson, looking wise beyond his years, entered the Panthers zone and held possession at the blue line before mustering a desperation shot toward the net.
The puck hit Florida’s Sam Reinhart and trickled to the back post, where Suzuki was standing to corral the puck and calmly place it past a beaten Vitek Vanecek.
"It couldn't have happened any better,” said Hutson.
Head coach Martin St. Louis said the way his tired players dug deep after the icing impressed him the most.
“Then Suzy goes 200 feet to the back post and trying to make a read,” St. Louis said. “He's going towards the net, but he has a presence of mind to hide off the back post a little bit and let the play come to him.
“That was a great bounce, but there was somebody on the other side of that bounce in the right spot, and I was happy it was him."
It was only fitting that Suzuki — who scored his fifth OT winner this season — played hero again in the extra period. Sam Montembeault did his part with 25 saves, including a couple game-saving stops in the third.
With the win, the Canadiens retained the Eastern Conference’s second wild-card spot with 79 points, two more than the outside-looking-in Columbus Blue Jackets and New York Rangers in a tight playoff race.
“It looked like we might not win,” St. Louis said. “Is there someone up above helping us? Maybe. I’m sure my mom is helping me. To go finish that in overtime, it was an emotional end to the game, that’s for sure.”
It also marked another epic comeback from a Canadiens team that’s making a habit of rallying from behind.
When trailing after two periods since Dec. 31, Montreal has fought back to claim a point 10 times and won on seven occasions.
The Canadiens also swept the Panthers in all four games this season, including a 4-2 win in Sunrise, Fla., on Sunday.
Suzuki has led the charge since the 4 Nations Face-Off break, tying for third in the NHL with 27 points in 18 games.
Hutson — named the league’s rookie of the month earlier Tuesday — is also playing a major role. The 21-year-old defenceman tallied three assists to pad that total to 57 this season, passing Chris Chelios for second-most by a rookie defenceman in NHL history.
The Calder Trophy contender as rookie of the year is also only the third blueliner in franchise history to reach 57 assists, joining Chelios and Larry Robinson.
Huston has six alone in his last two games — both crucial wins against the Panthers. Not bad for a player selected 62nd overall in the 2022 NHL draft.
"He's a special player, he's having a special year,” veteran forward Brendan Gallagher said. “You can see talent when he shows up. I don't know how we was picked so late in the draft, but we seemed to get a steal.”
The five-foot-nine Hutson has made waves of late by taking the ice at the Canadiens’ practice facility in Brossard, Que., even when the team has an off-day.
“From the second you see him on the ice, he's just a special player. It doesn't come by accident,” Gallagher said. “The amount of time he puts into his craft and how dedicated he is and how much he enjoys the game, that's what's going to propel him to such an unbelievable career.”
Hutson leads all rookies with 62 points this season. He also ranks fourth among defencemen, and second since the 4 Nations break behind only Colorado superstar Cale Makar.
The Canadiens — despite a recent five-game skid — ranked ninth in the league since Feb. 20 and have now won two in a row.
Next up, they host the Boston Bruins on Thursday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 1, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
