Cole Caufield: Clutch Performer

On Thursday night, Cole Caufield sealed the Montreal Canadiens' comeback with the overtime goal in the 4-3 victory over the Columbus Blue Jackets. He also ended the match in overtime on October 21st against the Washington Capitals.

The 22-year-old is only in his third full National Hockey League (NHL) season and has already become one of the league’s best clutch players. Thursday’s goal was his 10th winner of his young career placing him seventh in franchise history for most winning goals before the age of 23, behind Stephane Richer (22), Bernie Geoffrion (19), Guy Lafleur (14), Alex Galchenyuk (12), Mark Hunter (10) and Henri Richard (10).

“I knew he could score goals before coming here. I played a lot against him so I’ve been on the receiving end of it for a little bit. It’s nice to have him on my side now when he scores goals at ease it seems like. He’s got that great release and seems to find ways to put pucks in the back of the net, it’s fun to watch,” Alex Newhook said about his new teammate.

With his sixth career overtime goal, he’s put himself in good company in the history book, as only seven players in NHL history had as many winners before age 23: Sean Monahan (8), Connor McDavid (7), Steven Stamkos (7), Pierre-Luc Dubois (6), Jack Eichel (6), Brayden Point (6) and Mario Lemieux (6).

“He creates room for himself, he has a great shot and enjoys that moment. He lives up to that and is a really special player,” Sean Monahan explained the Wisconsin native’s success.

Caufield’s celebration on Thursday shows the love he has for the game and his teammates have noticed. “He’s a guy that loves the game. He loves getting better, working at his craft and shows up every night for us. Already at a young age, he’s a guy that we rely on,” Brendan Gallagher noted on Friday.

The Canadiens first round pick in 2019 was slumping when Martin St. Louis jumped behind the bench. The coach is pleased with the forward’s progression.

“I won’t teach him how to score goals. He’s a scorer. He’s a guy that goes between the dots and he’s hungry. For his play without the puck, he’s not perfect and I wasn’t perfect either. I find him engaged to play the game, not only his game. He understands that hockey is not only about scoring goals. That’s what I’m working with Cole and I like his engagement,” St. Louis described his progression.

Caufield is currently on pace to score 47 goals and the race for 50 will be exciting. The last player to reach that plateau for the Canadiens was Stephane Richer in 1989-90. 

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