The Montreal Canadiens seemed to be left searching for answers after a deflating 6-1 loss in Game 5 and losing four straight games to be eliminated from the Eastern Conference Finals. After the game, Lane Hutson spoke with the media and clearly was one of those players trying to cope with what exactly happened against the Carolina Hurricanes.
In response to a question about why he thought the Canadiens couldn't get to their best, the Canadiens defenseman said, "Honestly, not really sure, and likely a combination of things. They played really well too, but I'm not really sure why we couldn't bring better. We're still far off, and we know it."
"They played really well too, but I'm not really sure why we couldn't bring better. We're still far off, and we know it."
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 30, 2026
Lane Hutson speaks with the media after the Canadiens were eliminated by the Hurricanes. pic.twitter.com/u3t63yxnQA
Hutson certainly isn't going to blame any teammates, but he was one of the few players for the Montreal Canadiens who made a positive impact in this series. He finished with one goal and one assist while averaging close to 24 minutes per game of ice time.
The Hurricanes won the shot battle in this series by a wide margin, but could have been a lot worse if it wasn't for Hutson, who had 13 blocked shots over the five games.
Why the Montreal Canadiens are much closer to a Cup than it feels right now
It is understandable for Hutson to say the Canadiens are far off with how the series played out, but in actuality, they really aren't that far. The Carolina Hurricanes have been clearly better than the rest of the Eastern Conference in these playoffs as they have gone 12-1 to reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
For the Canadiens, they broke 100 points in the regular season and went on the road twice in Game 7s to beat the two teams ahead of them in the Atlantic Division, the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Buffalo Sabres. There was certainly a lot of growth for a young team that is only going to get better, and maybe that is the message Hutson is trying to convey.
It was a tough way to end the season, but there is plenty that they can take from this playoff run to help them go deeper in the future and reach the Stanley Cup Finals.
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