Of the four remaining teams in the postseason, Carolina leads in hits per 60 minutes with 34.91. That average has jumped to 43.73 during the conference final.<\/p>\n
In fact, through the first two games of the series, the Hurricanes have 90 hits, 56 more than the\u00a0Canadiens, with forwards Jordan Staal<\/a> (18) and\u00a0Andrei Svechnikov<\/a>\u00a0(11) leading the way.<\/p>\n Through the first two games,\u00a0Hutson has been hit 12 times, which is tied with teammate Noah Dobson<\/a>, also a defenseman, for the most on Montreal’s roster.<\/p>\n “Lots of skill there, very elusive and just sees the ice so well,” Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven<\/a>\u00a0said of Hutson. “I think you want to try and finish our checks clean on him and just try to get a piece of him because he’s always hopping up into the play, and a he’s a play driver for them and wants to make things happen when he\u2019s on the ice.<\/p>\n “So obviously, we are always making ourselves aware of when he’s out there and trying to do our best to shut him down.”<\/p>\n When asked if he felt he has been targeted by the Hurricanes,\u00a0Hutson said it\u2019s not just him.<\/p>\n “I’m not too worried about it,”\u00a0Hutson said. “I mean, it’s been happening all playoffs for everyone, so it’s not just me, it’s everyone. We’ve got a big, strong team, and you know, they use their strength.”<\/p>\n