Montreal Canadiens: Cole Caufield Proved He Belongs In NHL Debut

Montreal Canadiens right winger Cole Caufield made his long awaited NHL debut in the Habs most recent game.

The 20 year old had proven to be the best player in college hockey this season. He scored 30 goals and 52 points in 31 games before being named the Hobey Baker Award winner. He also looked great in his AHL debut, scoring three goals and four points in two games.

The only thing left for him to do was show he belonged at the NHL level. On Monday night, he was finally given a chance to show that and he delivered.

Caufield was place on a line with Tomas Tatar and Phillip Danault, a spot usually reserved for Brendan Gallagher. When Gallagher is healthy, that trio is generally referred to as an elite two-way line that scored plenty but shuts down the opponent’s best players on a regular basis. Trying to fill Gallagher’s shoes is a tall task for a rookie making his first NHL appearance.

However, Caufield played extremely well in his first NHL game. He didn’t get on the scoresheet, but he came awfully close early in the first period when a burst of speed down the wing led to some open ice. He strode into the Calgary Flames zone and fired a wrist shot that appeared to fool Jacob Markstrom a bit.

The puck glanced off the Flames goaltender’s shoulder before bouncing over the net.

Caufield played 15:40, fired four shots on goal, most of which were from tough angles, and he played a regular shift on a two-way line with Tatar and Danault. Even late in the game, Caufield was out there defending a one goal lead.

This wasn’t a run of the mill game either. This was the biggest game of the season for the Canadiens so far. A loss would have put the Flames just two points back of them for the final playoff spot. They needed these two points as badly as they have needed any two points this season.

Even in that pressure packed situation, with the Habs having just lost two in a row to the Flames, Caufield looked calm, confident and poised on the ice. He played smart defensively, and created a handful of shots on goal.

In fact, according to moneypuck.com, Caufield had the highest expected goals for of all Canadiens players in the game. That’s an advanced stat that takes into account scoring chances, shots on goal and shot attempts while a player is on the ice. Basically, with Caufield on the ice, the Habs created far more offence than the Flames did.

It was an impressive debut with the Canadiens for sure. While we will have to wait for his first NHL goal and point, there was plenty to like about Caufield’s first ever NHL game.