The Montreal Canadiens had been starved for a goalscorer, and after Max Pacioretty got traded the lineup and organization were sorely lacking.
In the 2019 Draft, the undersized Cole Caufield fell into the Canadiens’ lap, making, then-general manager Marc Bergevin’s decision an easy one. He was a standout with the United States National Team Development Program. Headed to Wisconsin, and we all know how rest played. The Hobey Baker Award and the goalscoring ability he showcased were just two of his brilliant accomplishments during his two-year college career.
Caufield left little doubt that he could score, and aside from his AHL stint in 2021-22, he has been a mainstay with the Habs. He has been the Canadiens most consistent contributor alongside Nick Suzuki. Caufield has also proven to have ice in his veins, no moment is too big, and he has a clutch ability to score big goals.
His overtime winner on Saturday night against the Washington Capitals marked his fifth with the Canadiens. Here’s a look at Caufield’s five overtime winners. Each of these will surely have you singing ‘Olé, Olé, Olé’.
#FunFact: tonight was Cole Caufield's 5th overtime goal of his #NHL career and 9th game-winner.
— Priyanta Emrith (@HabsInHighHeels) October 22, 2023
OT #1 – May 1, 2021 – Ottawa Senators
Caufield’s first overtime marker came during the 2022-23 season. The goal has the distinction of also being his first NHL goal.
Jeff Petry fed Caufield a perfect cross-crease pass, and he made no mistake tapping it past Ottawa Senators goaltender Filip Gustavsson.
OT #2 – May 3, 2021 – Toronto Maple Leafs
Caufield wasted little time leaving his best for overtime again. His second career goal also came during three-on-three play as the Canadiens slowly began to realize they may have something special here.
He skated into the Toronto Maple Leafs zone with speed and then fired a shot past goaltender Jack Campbell.
OT #3 – February 17, 2022 – St. Louis Blues
This goal was almost a carbon copy of Caufield’s tally against the Senators. Caufield received a nice pass from Jeff Petry.
Caufield slammed it home past goaltender Ville Husso.
OT #4 – March 13, 2022 – Philadelphia Flyers
Caufield got lost behind the Flyers defenders after Mike Hoffman left the ice because of a broken stick. Because of his ability to take many different shots, he was able to freeze the Flyers goalie.
Caufield took advantage of a favourable line change, firing a clapper past goaltender Carter Hart.
OT #5 – October 21, 2023 – Washington Capitals
Caufield’s latest tally came off a pass by Nick Suzuki, and it almost didn’t happen. Monahan made a nice play to coral the puck in the corner before passing it to Suzuki, Caufield was about to make a line change but stayed on.
He noticed that Suzuki was looking for him, and he got a sweet feed from the captain. Caufield made no mistake sniping it past Washington Capitals goaltender Darcy Kuemper.
Final Thoughts
Caufield’s just begun his season, but given his innate ability to score the biggest goals at the most opportune times, it leaves little doubt to the fact that he will add a few more clutch tallies before the season comes to an end.
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