Montreal Rookie Cole Caufield Scores Game Winning Goal in Overtime in 2nd Straight Game

Montreal rookie Cole Caufield scored his first NHL goal in the Canadiens’ 3-2 win over Ottawa on May 1st. The goal was the game winner in the overtime victory. In his next game, Caufield again scored the winning goal in overtime in Montreal’s 3-2 win over Toronto on May 3rd.

Canadiens’ fans have been waiting for the 20 year old Caufield ever since he was drafted in the 1st round of the 2019 NHL draft. A Wisconsin native, Caufield attended the same high school as long time NHL player Joe Pavelski. Like Pavelski, Caufield played college hockey at the University of Wisconsin, scoring 19 goals and adding 17 assists in 36 games as a freshman in the 2019-20 season. The Canadiens felt he needed one more year of college hockey, so Caulfield returned to Madison and had an outstanding sophomore season for Wisconsin, leading the nation in goals (30) and points (52). The next highest goal scorer in Division I hockey had 19. Caufield won the Hobey Baker Award as the nation’s best men’s college hockey player.

At the conclusion of the Badgers season, Caufield signed an entry level contract with Montreal at the end of March, and reported to the Canadiens’ AHL affiliate in Laval, Quebec. His stay there was brief, and he played in his first game with the Canadiens on April 26th.

The Canadiens are tied with Winnipeg for third place in the NHL North, and have a 10 point lead over 5th place Calgary. With just five games left in the regular season, they’ll clinch a playoff berth this week with the only question being if they’ll finish 3rd or 4th in the division.