Montreal Canadiens sniper Cole Caufield scored his 13th goal of the season while sporting his new number 13.
The extra little tidbit is that he scored the goal against former number Johnny Gaudreau's Columbus Blue Jackets in their home rink. There wasn't much fuss about the particular details of the tally, but you definitely could feel Johnny there watching. Caufield made the gesture in honour of Gaudreau, and the goal felt like the perfect homage to him.
Sure Gaudreau would still want his team to win the game, but you can't help but feel he is smiling down watching Caufield sport his number and do what he loves to do. Gaudreau was as fiery and passionate about the game as Caufield was, and I can't help but feel that he proud. Both of the impact that he had and the teammates and friend that he was to the Blue Jackets and many other player throughout the league.
Cole Caufield gets goal number 13 wearing #13 in Columbus ❤️💙 pic.twitter.com/f95YCm3IRX
— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) November 28, 2024
Caufield showed off some patience outwaiting Blue Jackets netminder Elvis Merzlikins before firing home a perfectly placed shot. The assist from Juraj Slafkovsky was the real story, and without it, the goal would never happen. Great play all around and seeing Caufield score goals will never get old, the excitement level is always the same, regardless of how big the tally is.
Caufield is 15 away from matching last years total
Caufield scored a career-best 28 goals during the 2023-24, which came through 82 games. This season in the Canadiens' 22nd game of the campaign Caufield is one off from being halfway there. With 60 games to go, I think it's safe to assume that he will reach a new career high in goals.
His statistics last year were 28-37-65, which were all tops through his young career. If things continue progressing like they have, he should be right on pace to post new personal bests across the board. I feel like watching Caufield play continues to be impressive because he has grown so much, and at 23 years old, he still has time to get better.
I think he has proven that he is close to a 70-point player at minimum, now the next step is proving it all over again. I think with the way his two-way game has come along and the growth of his playmaking, he should be an 85-90 point player soon enough. Once the Habs have a well balanced top six, I think the club's offensive identity will truly start to take shape.