{"id":547941,"date":"2026-04-08T19:55:41","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:55:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/547941\/"},"modified":"2026-04-08T19:55:41","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T19:55:41","slug":"habs-confident-caufield-will-hit-milestone","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/547941\/","title":{"rendered":"Habs confident Caufield will hit milestone"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cole Caufield has gone three games without scoring.<\/p>\n

At any other time of the season, it wouldn\u2019t be considered a big deal. But because the Canadiens\u2019 top sniper remains perched on 49 goals, Caufield has become one of the central stories of the day.<\/p>\n

And he\u2019ll remain there until he scores the magical 50th and becomes the first Canadiens player since St\u00e9phane Richer<\/a> in 1990 to reach that figure.<\/p>\n

Caufield has four games remaining, beginning with Thursday\u2019s Bell Centre contest against the Tampa Bay Lightning<\/a> (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM).<\/p>\n

\"CanadiensCanadiens sniper Cole Caufield unloads a backhand shot at the Florida net while being pressured by Panthers\u2019 Cole Schwindt during the first period in Montreal on Tuesday. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

\u201cIt hasn\u2019t crossed the line yet. He\u2019s had about 50 chances,\u201d veteran forward Josh Anderson said on Wednesday after practice in Brossard. \u201cI don\u2019t think anybody\u2019s worried that he\u2019s never going to score again. It\u2019s probably going to come the next game, honestly. To have 10 shot attempts a game, you\u2019re bound to get one. He has kind of been robbed lately.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure it\u2019s not going to take too long. It\u2019s probably going to happen next game.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caufield certainly hasn\u2019t lost his scoring touch. That was on display in the opening round of the shootout Tuesday<\/a>, when he beat Florida goaltender Daniil Tarasov with a forehand between his legs. Caufield had two shots against the Panthers, three other attempts that were blocked and one missed shot.<\/p>\n

Caufield wasn\u2019t made available to the media on Wednesday and likely won\u2019t be until he scores his next goal \u2014\u00a0assuming it comes.<\/p>\n

\"ColeCole Caufield is \u201cthe best goal-scorer in this locker room,\u201d says Canadiens Brendan Gallagher, backhanding the puck into the Columbus Blue Jackets\u2019 zone during third period in Montreal on March 26. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve told him this and he knows this \u2014\u00a0he\u2019s the best goal-scorer in this locker room,\u201d said Brendan Gallagher<\/a>, who was a healthy scratch against Florida for the second time this season<\/a>. \u201cHe\u2019s going to score goals. He has always scored goals. There\u2019s no point forcing it.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought he did a great job last game. He makes a play to (Ivan Demidov) on a big goal. He\u2019s not forcing shots. He lets it come to him. He scores goals better than anyone in this room. We have total confidence it\u2019s going to happen. There\u2019s obviously a little bit of anticipation for it. He obviously wants it (too). He\u2019s just got to keep doing the same thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Caufield scored five goals in four games to reach 49 heading into last Saturday\u2019s contest at New Jersey. And while Caufield produced two assists in Montreal\u2019s 4-3 shootout victory<\/a> that night \u2014\u00a0scoring again in the opening-round of the shootout \u2014\u00a0he didn\u2019t score in regulation despite his team-leading five shots. When the Canadiens were shut out by the Devils in the rematch 24 hours later, Caufield had another three shots and four misses.<\/p>\n

Caufield\u2019s quest aside, the Canadiens have struggled in their last two games to rediscover the intensity they displayed during their season-long eight-game winning streak \u2014\u00a0five of which came on the road.<\/p>\n

While Montreal clinched a playoff berth Sunday afternoon by virtue of Detroit\u2019s loss to Minnesota, the team still has plenty to play for as it attempts to secure home-ice advantage in the opening round.<\/p>\n

Tampa Bay, Buffalo and the Canadiens \u2014 in that order, based on regulation wins \u2014\u00a0are tied atop the Atlantic Division standings with 102 points heading into Wednesday\u2019s games. Playing the Lightning, which is a potential first-round opponent, should serve as inspiration for the Canadiens.<\/p>\n

\""I\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be good for us to play a team like Tampa that has a lot of firepower and plays physical, too,\u201d says Canadiens winger Josh Anderson, getting dragged down by Florida Panthers\u2019 Dmitry Kulikov for a penalty in front of goalie Daniil Tarasov during third period in Montreal on Tuesday. John Mahoney \/ Montreal Gazette<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know what it is, and I don\u2019t have an answer for you,\u201d Anderson said. \u201cWhen you come back home, you\u2019d think you\u2019d have a lot of energy \u2014\u00a0especially the position that we\u2019re in, trying to fight for home ice. (Thursday) has to be different against Tampa, a potential team we could be playing in the first round. We\u2019ve got to get into it early and not wait until the third period and be down one or two.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s going to be good for us to play a team like Tampa that has a lot of firepower and plays physical, too. To get into it early, at the beginning, is going to be key for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said Tuesday night his team has been \u201cflat\u201d for two games, he doesn\u2019t believe clinching a playoff berth had any effect.<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course, I would have liked to win (Sunday), but I think we\u2019ve earned it any which way,\u201d St. Louis said on Wednesday. \u201cIn five years, nobody\u2019s going to remember when we clinched. We put ourselves in a really good spot.\u201d<\/p>\n

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com <\/p>\n

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