What's with the Montreal Canadiens schedule gap?

The Montreal Canadiens are coming off two consecutive strong games, and their reward is four days off between games.

Head coach Martin St. Louis's team has had a tough November, but their final two games showed some life in the team. Samuel Montembeault has regained his form with two strong performances: a 5-1 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets and a 3-0 blanking of the Edmonton Oilers. A few Habs had a brilliant outing, but Cole Caufield's game was particularly noticeable.

Caufield was brilliant and showed how much growth his game has undergone, not only from last season to this one; but even from the start of the season to now. He has had no issue scoring goals, but his play without the puck has been a real positive for the Canadiens. When he doesn't have the puck, he works hard to get it back; employing a smart defensive game.

Anyways, back to the schedule gap - with the Habs seemingly finding their footing, a break isn't exactly what you want when momentum is picking up. Hockey players are creatures of habit, and while the gap gives them time to get away from the rink; it's hard to forget about the next opponent. It's especially true since their opponent is the Pacific Division-leading Vegas Golden Knights, who are a cool 11-6-2 through 19 games.

Sometimes it is hard to get back into the swing of things, when your opponent only has a day of two off between the game. Montreal will be rested, but sometimes rest = rust and the Golden Knights are a team that they will need to be prepared for. I don't doubt that they will be prepared for the game, but the NHL dropped the ball with this one.

When will Lane Hutson net his first NHL goal?

If you had to pick out a story from the Habs' first 19 games of the schedule, you'd be hard-pressed to find a better one than Lane Hutson's play. We all knew that Hutson was a talented player - whether it be how he dominated in college or his NHL debut - he never looked out of place. But this wasn't sustainable, right?

But it is and was, he never looks shaken as though he doesn't know how to solve a problem on the ice. Each time he hops over the boards for a shift, you can sense the anticipation in the rink, like something will happen. If you look at the majority of Hutson's 11 assists this season, they are all made from his elusiveness and brilliant vision.

Hutson makes challenging plays look routine, which begs the question, how has he not scored his first NHL goal?

He quarterback's the second power-play unit, he gets plenty of minutes at 4-on-4, and he has also directed many shots toward the net. There is no question that he is more of a playmaker than a goalscorer, but he does have a quick, accurate shot. He could stand to add slapshot to his arsenal, or at least use it more.

There is no reason for him to stress about it, as I believe it will come sooner or later. But I would like to think that his first goal will come before Christmas.