Caulfield scores 40 in crucial win

Published on: 18 3 月, 2026 by admin

The Montreal Canadiens host the Boston Bruins on Tuesday night to avoid their first three-game losing streak since late November.

It was no good, and required overtime, but in the end the Habs emerged with a hard-fought victory, as Cole Caufield scored his 40th goal of the year to secure a 3–2 victory.

Let's look at the highlights!

search for discipline

Habs fans will be quick to tell you that the team has not received favorable officiating this season, and there is some truth to that theory, but the fact that the Canadiens have struggled to show any shred of discipline this year has compounded the problem considerably.

Alexander Carrier's double-minor to start the game against the Bruins was a perfect example. This left the Canadiens behind by the eight ball, as the Bruins scored quickly during the first power play.

Despite the inconsistency involved in NHL officiating, the Canadiens need to do a much better job when it comes to avoiding needless penalties. For the most part, they are the authors of their own penalty problems.

first line effect

The first line didn't get a chance to play 5v5 shifts for about five minutes, another symptom of there being no discipline at all in the team.

Luckily for the Canadians, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkowski made their mark early on and tied the game midway through the first period. It was Suzuki's 24th goal of the season, although we must give credit to Caufield for his excellent work on the blue line, keeping the game alive after a few fortuitous layups.

coverage issues

Boston took a 2-1 lead midway through the second period, and while many will look for the skater to make the mistake, the truth is that Montreal's poor defensive coverage is incredibly common. At some point, you have to view the system as the cause of an endless stream of defensive failures.

For the record, it was Oliver Kapanen who was covering Zacha, and then proceeded to drop him at the last minute, but again, this is a recurring theme for the Habs. Whether it's Kapanen or another Canadiens player, questionable defensive coverage happens all too often for a team that is in a very competitive playoff race.

mr anderson

With the Canadiens trailing once again, the veteran line provided a crucial goal, as Josh Anderson tied the game at 2–2 with a point shot.

Full marks to Anderson for creating enough of a gap between himself and the much bigger Nikita Zadorov. It was exactly the kind of play you'd expect to see from a rough-and-tumble player like Anderson, who scored his 13th goal of the season.

It should also be noted that Jaden Struble did a great job keeping the game alive, leading to the Lane Hutson shot and of course the Anderson tip. Brendan Gallagher, appearing in his 900th NHL game, also recorded an assist in the scoring game.

The teams remained tied at 2 at the second intermission, however, the Canadiens maintained a clear edge in high-danger chances at 5v5 at 14–7.

it had to happen to him

While the Bruins pushed the envelope in overtime, it was the usual suspect Caufield who secured the victory for the Canadiens.

It was his 40th goal of the year, the first time a Canadian player has scored the goal since Vincent Damphousse in 1993–94.

The Montreal Canadiens are back in action on Thursday, facing the Red Wings in Detroit, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.

All Montreal Canadiens stats are 5v5, via Natural Stat Trick, unless otherwise noted.

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Mark has been covering the Habs for over a decade. He previously worked for the Journal Metro, The Athletic, The... More about Mark Dumont
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