Caufield becomes Canadiens’ first 40-goal scorer in over 30 years
Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield just keeps scoring big goals.
In a rivalry showdown against the Boston Bruins, with major playoff implications on both sides of the ledger, Caufield delivered a game-winning strike in overtime to further cement the Canadiens’ standing on the right side of the bubble.
When he tapped home a feed from lineman Nick Suzuki while camped out at the side of the goal, he made both personal history and snapped a franchise drought by notching his 40th of the season.
COLE CAUFIELD IS A 40-GOAL SCORER 🗣️ The Canadiens defeat the Bruins thanks to Caufield's Subway Canada OT winner!
It’s the first time in his career Caufield’s reached the 40-goal mark, as he already beat the previous career-high of 37 he set a season ago.
He also became the first Canadien to put up 40 in a single season since all the way back in 1994, when Vincent Damphousse put up 40 goals in 84 regular season games.
In the intervening years, Montreal has had plenty of prolific scorers, with Max Pacioretty, Brendan Gallagher, Alex Galchenyuk and Alex Kovalev among the teams players to breach the 30-goal mark between 1994 and 2026. Pacioretty came particularly close in 2013-14 when he put up 39.
It's been 32 years since the Habs have had a 40 goal scorer 🤯 Cole Caufield changed that tonight. 🎥: TSN | #GoHabsGo
Caufield’s ascension from great to elite in the NHL’s goalscoring ranks has helped push the Canadiens from being a group that just sneaked into the playoffs to get sent home in five in the first round to one that has legitimate expectations this year.
Montreal’s win means the Habs now have three points of breathing room over the playoff cut line in a tightly packed race for the second and third-place spots in the Atlantic Division as well as the East’s two wild cards.
The Canadiens are tied with Tampa Bay for second in the division, though the Bolts have two games in hand. Montreal netting one point over Boston means the Habs now sit two points above their hated rivals with a game in hand.