Habs score three straight, after trailing by two, for a 3-2 win over Tampa

The Montreal Canadiens were trailing the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 before the second period was five minutes old, they needed a spark.

Sometimes hockey just has a way of writing feel-good stories, and when Juraj Slafkovsky scores, it feels like a new one was written. Slafkovsky seems to be a later bloomer, finding another gear in the second half of the season, it happened last year and it's carried over this year. Slafkovsky has played fine, but it feels like there is more for him to give.

His goal against Tampa showed off his accurate shot, and confidence to beat Vasilevskiy from such an angle. Slafkovsky's confidence has undoubtedly grown, and once he finds some consistency, that is when the Habs will have their prized power forward. Being able to match up a strong first 41 games, and doing the same in the remaining 41 games will show a lot about Slafkovsky's drive and potential.

Lane Hutson scored his 36th assist, and 39th point of the season on the tally, and Patrik Laine drew an assist also.

Less than two minutes later, Laine passed the puck from the corner and caught Alex Newhook with a sweet feed at the top of the slot. Newhook blasted a one-timer over Vasilevskiy's blocker-side shoulder. Laine has quietly picked up two assists, and the Habs have clawed their way out of their penalty problem to start the game.

The combattants battled it out for much of the second and third period, staying even until the final two minutes of the game. Both teams had plenty of chances, but Jake Evans struck, pulling the Habs ahead 3-2. Joel Armia earned the sole assist on the goal, his 14th of the season.

Tampa pulled their goalie and opted for a six-on-five advantage for the remainder of regulation. They pushed hard, and Montreal had a trio of attempts just short of the vacant net. David Savard ultimately sealed the win for the Canadiens burying the puck behind Samuel Montembeault's net, bleeding out the clock.

Since December 3rd, the Canadiens have won 16 of their last 23 games. Tampa is an extremely tough challenge, but a nod to the penalty kill is deserved, as they sent the Lightning packing with a zero for four night on the power play. The Habs gutted out a hard-fought win, scoring three straight after trailing by two goals.

Hutson extends point streak to nine games

The Lane Hutson talk isn't about to go away, and at this point what he is doing has become routine. The 20-year-old trails only Joe Malone (14 games in 1917-1918) as the rookie with the longest point streak. Getting honours and stacking up accolades is normal for Hutson, who has to be making Andrei Markov proud.

Not since Markov, have the Canadiens had a true top power play quarterback, who was both deceptive and elite in the passing game. Hutson can drag defenders one way, and thread the needle the other way, with a crisp tape-to-tape pass. Markov led the blueline as 'The General' and Hutson has taken the torch, making a Markov-like impact for the Habs.

Hutson is only scratching the surface of what he will ultimately become, but at this point, he certainly has done to predict what we can expect him to do next year, at minimum. I think that as the core takes shape a little more, Hutson is only going to produce more. Many players are still maturing, and developing that are sure to be impact players with the Canadiens, who will put those passes into the back of the net.

Newhook's second-period tally was a result of a passing play from Hutson to Laine, and he found Newhook wide open in the slot, who made no mistake firing a bullet past Andrei Vasilevskiy. Hutson is now one game shy of the NHL record for a point streak by a rookie defenseman, he sits tied with Shayne Gostisbehere at nine games (2015-2016).