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Lane Hutson didn't get off to a great start in the Montreal Canadiens' playoff series with the Buffalo Sabres.
First, Hutson gave up a penalty just 30 seconds into the 4-2 loss when he tripped an on-charging Zach Benson.
Then, he was dispossessed by Benson in the lead-up to Buffalo's first goal.
Hutson tried to corral a puck near the boards in the neutral zone, but he lost his footing a bit and couldn't handle it.
Benson took it away, attacked the offensive zone, and dished to Josh Doan for a tap-in and a 1-0 Sabres lead.
Hutson admitted to reporters on Thursday that he hadn't been at his best in that moment.
"I feel like everyone came ready to play except me, honestly," Hutson said, via TSN. "S----y bounce or whatever but you gotta be able to make a better play there... I felt like I responded good enough, but definitely owe it to these guys to be better for a full 60."
MORE: Sabres 'blend in well with this city' in Game 1 win over Canadiens
At least there's some blunt honesty there from Hutson.
The reality is that his skill level from the blue line makes him one of Montreal's most important players, and he's going to have to take a step forward in Game 2 on Friday night to help the Canadiens bounce back and even the series.
Buffalo's biggest successes in Game 1 came from the intensity, speed and physicality of their bottom-six forwards. Hutson and his mates will have to find a way to slow those groups down to take some of the energy out of the KeyBank Center and stabilize things for Montreal.
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