Wednesday night at Capital One Arena brings a first for the Hutson family: Cole and Lane Hutson will be on opposite sides when the Capitals host the Canadiens, marking the first NHL meeting between the brothers.
For Lane, the matchup comes with plenty of recognition and not much room for sentiment once the puck drops. The Canadiens defenseman told NHL.com's Tom Gulitti that the occasion will matter, even if he expects the game itself to feel normal.
"It will be cool, for sure, but it’s just going to be another game," Lane said. "We’ve got to find a way to get some wins.
Yeah, it will be cool for me and my brother. But I’m excited for it.
Cole is looking at it from a different angle: years of head-to-head battles, now translated to the NHL stage. He said those old lessons may give him a read on what Lane wants to do.
"I’ve been battling him my whole life, so I kind of know what he’s going to do," Cole said. "And, hopefully, we come out with the win."
The two brothers’ paths have crossed in hockey all the way up, but just barely. Both played at Boston University, though their college seasons never overlapped.
Lane was with the Terriers in 2022-23 and 2023-24, while Cole was there in 2024-25 and 2025-26. They also narrowly missed sharing time with the U.S.
National Developmental Team.
Lane, still only 22, has already built an impressive NHL résumé. After going in the late second round in 2022, he won the Calder Trophy in 2024-25 with 66 points, then followed that with 78 points last season. He has opened this season with six points in six games for Montreal.
Cole is at the other end of the timeline, just beginning to carve out his place in the league. The Capitals rookie put up 10 points in his first 14 NHL games last season, and he has started this season with a goal and two assists.
Both teams are getting the version of Hutson they want right now, and Montreal locked Lane in with an eight-year, $70.8 million extension in 2025. Maybe someday the brothers will end up on the same side. For now, the first chapter is set to be written with one in red and one in blue.
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Carolina also kept getting secondary scoring at the right moments, which has been a big part of why this stretch has looked so convincing. Mark Jankowski added to that momentum by extending his goal streak, a late touch that fit the tone of a night when the Hurricanes looked deeper and more dangerous than the team Washington saw earlier this season. [Read more 🡒]