Montreal Canadiens fans finally witnessed Cole Caufield's 50th goal as their favorite managed to overcome the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1.
After playing an emotionless game against the Florida Panthers, the Montreal Canadiens were hosting a potential first-round opponent, the Tampa Bay Lightning, on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Given the high stakes in that matchup, it was clear that both teams would bring their A-game and neither would disappoint.
With that kind of opposition, the Habs couldn’t afford a slow start, and they knew it. Joe Veleno was back in the lineup after battling the flu, taking over from Zachary Bolduc. As for Kaiden Guhle, who skated alone ahead of the morning skate, he remained out, just like healthy scratch Brendan Gallagher.
Line Tinkering
After using Alex Newhook at the center of the second line on Tuesday, Martin St-Louis had him playing wing on the third line alongside Phillip Danault and Kirby Dach, while Oliver Kapanen took his spot back in the middle with Alexandre Texier on one side and Ivan Demidov on the other. As for Veleno, he landed on the fourth line with Jake Evans and Josh Anderson.
Overall, the new combination worked pretty well in the first frame; they all had plenty of energy and grit on the ice, dominating in shots 8-3, and they hit the post behind Andrei Vasilevskiy twice. Of course, the four-minute power play they received early on helped them build some momentum and kept the Lightning out of their zone, but still, only giving the Bolts three shots in 20 minutes is quite a feat.
History Was Made
For the 13th time in franchise history, a Hab scored 50 goals in a season. After failing to find twine in his last three games, Cole Caufield beat Vasilevsky for the first goal of the game, becoming just the seventh Canadiens player to score 50 in a season. Unsurprisingly, the Bell Centre absolutely erupted, and the atmosphere became even more electric. Fittingly, Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky got the assists on the history-making goal. Speaking to the media after the game, the man of the hour said he couldn’t have drawn it any better.
Asked how he felt being the first American-born player to hit 50 goals with the Canadiens, he replied:
Honestly, it’s hard not to follow. You see it kind of everywhere, not going to lie, was pretty stressed out the past couple of days, but that’s what makes this place so special, and that’s why it’s kind of so cool for me, and my teammates, coaches and family to take this in and enjoy it. Honestly, it felt like it would never come there for a couple of days; in those three games, it felt like it would never come. I’m just glad it’s over with now, and we can get back to work. We still have a couple of big games left.
It was easy to see how relieved the sniper was to score that 50th goal finally, and when it was put to him that he could finally move on, he instantly replied, “You guys too!” making everyone in the room chuckle.
His best answer, though, was without a doubt when he was asked about how much Martin St-Louis has helped him over the course of his young NHL career:
Obviously, I don’t know if there is a guy I should thank more or give more respect to. I think when he came in, he gave me not only an opportunity but definitely some confidence, and he taught me how to play the game the right way to create more and get the puck more in better spots. He always says he’s not going to teach me how to score, but I think deep down, he knows he did. To work with a guy like that, I think everybody on our team has benefited a lot from him, and our whole staff has been outstanding, a lot of thanks to him, but you know, everybody deserves a little piece of that.
When Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton hired Martin St-Louis, the GM said it was important to have a coach who could match the identity they wanted to give their version of the Canadiens and getting Martin St-Louis on board was a masterstroke from them in hindsight. The undersized Hall of Fame was just the right man to lead this young team through adversity, but also a perfect teacher for a player like Caufield.
Reflecting on the fact that he slid all the way down to 15 in the draft back in 2019, the sniper said he wouldn’t want it any other way and that he was fortunate enough to go to the right place and go to the right team. He added, “Who knows where I would be on a different team? I’m just thankful for everything this city has offered and kind of the journey we’ve been on ever since I got here.”
Caufield was also asked if he was glad to have accomplished the feat wearing number 13, a number he chose to honour Johnny Gaudreau after his tragic death, and visibly moved, he explained:
Every time I get to put on my jersey and my helmet, it’s weird to think about, but it’s an opportunity to represent him and remember him. It’s a special thing to kind of do that, I guess he’s behind me, and he’s looking down on us, everybody that he knew he made a better person, so I can’t obviously give him a hug right now, but I wish I could.
Furthermore, it was the 30th time Caufield put the Canadiens in front of the season, allowing him to move past Pavel Bure at 2nd overall for most go-ahead goals in a season. While some believed that playing a depleted Florida Panthers side the other night was the perfect occasion for the American to notch his 50th finally, it wasn’t surprising that he did it in a game with high stakes and against a team like the Tampa Bay Lightning. The Canadiens had to elevate their games to overcome such a formidable foe.
In the process, they needed to play the game the right way, which was always going to be the way Caufield could finally accomplish the milestone. That’s what allowed him to score the other 49 goals he had on the season. The prolific sniper doesn’t really do meaningless goals; he scores when his team most needs goals. It was the 30th time he put the Canadiens in front this year, allowing him to move past Pavel Bure at 2nd overall for most go-ahead goals in a season.
Rising To The Challenge
As for the coach, he was pleased with the way his team responded to the very physical brand of hockey the Lightning played. In such a tight game, the players had to fight for every inch on the ice, and while they pushed back, they stayed within the rules. They didn’t fall into the trap set by the experienced Bolts, aside from Arber Xhekaj, who was tricked into taking a penalty by Corey Perry, something the coach said the veteran has been doing for 20 years.
While there weren’t many goals scored in the game, the Bell Centre crowd was treated to playoff-like hockey and seeing the Habs win a 2-1 game against Tampa Bay, which has been a perennial contender for years in this league, was encouraging ahead of the spring dance. While Jakub Dobes only saw 18 shots, he had to make several big saves, protecting his team’s lead right up until the 58th minute when the Lightning managed to tie up the game at six on five. That equalizer could have been deflating for the Canadiens, but they rolled up their sleeves and went right back to work, getting the game-winning goal just 47 seconds later.
With that win, the Canadiens overtook the Lightning in the standings, and they’ve put themselves in the right position to earn home ice advantage in the first round. With 104 points and three games to go, the Habs are in control of their own fate with a game in hand on the Buffalo Sabres. The Canadiens will play their final home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday, then play the New York Islanders and the Philadelphia Flyers on the road to wrap up the season.
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