Flirting with 50: Canadiens certain Cole Caufield will hit milestone
Cole Caufield has gone three games without scoring.
At any other time of the season, it wouldn’t be considered a big deal. But because the Canadiens’ top sniper remains perched on 49 goals, Caufield has become one of the central stories of the day.
And he’ll remain there until he scores the magical 50th and becomes the first Canadiens player since Stéphane Richer in 1990 to reach that figure.
Caufield has four games remaining, beginning with Thursday’s Bell Centre contest against the (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM).
“It hasn’t crossed the line yet. He’s had about 50 chances,” veteran forward Josh Anderson said on Wednesday after practice in Brossard. “I don’t think anybody’s worried that he’s never going to score again. It’s probably going to come the next game, honestly. To have 10 shot attempts a game, you’re bound to get one. He has kind of been robbed lately.
“I’m sure it’s not going to take too long. It’s probably going to happen next game.”
Caufield certainly hasn’t lost his scoring touch. That was on display in the , 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.
Caufield wasn’t made available to the media on Wednesday and likely won’t be until he scores his next goal — assuming it comes.
“I’ve told him this and he knows this — he’s the best goal-scorer in this locker room,” said Brendan Gallagher, who was a healthy scratch against Florida for the second time this season. “He’s going to score goals. He has always scored goals. There’s no point forcing it.
“I thought he did a great job last game. He makes a play to (Ivan Demidov) on a big goal. He’s not forcing shots. He lets it come to him. He scores goals better than anyone in this room. We have total confidence it’s going to happen. There’s obviously a little bit of anticipation for it. He obviously wants it (too). He’s just got to keep doing the same thing.”
Caufield scored five goals in four games to reach 49 heading into last Saturday’s contest at New Jersey. And while Caufield produced two assists in Montreal’s 4-3 shootout victory that night — scoring again in the opening-round of the shootout — he didn’t 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.
Caufield’s 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 — five of which came on the road.
While Montreal clinched a playoff berth Sunday afternoon by virtue of Detroit’s loss to Minnesota, the team still has plenty to play for as it attempts to secure home-ice advantage in the opening round.
Tampa Bay, Buffalo and the Canadiens — in that order, based on regulation wins — are tied atop the Atlantic Division standings with 102 points heading into Wednesday’s games. Playing the Lightning, which is a potential first-round opponent, should serve as inspiration for the Canadiens.
“I don’t know what it is, and I don’t have an answer for you,” Anderson said. “When you come back home, you’d think you’d have a lot of energy — especially the position that we’re 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’ve got to get into it early and not wait until the third period and be down one or two.
“I think it’s 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.”
While Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis said Tuesday night his team has been “flat” for two games, he doesn’t believe clinching a playoff berth had any effect.
“Of course, I would have liked to win (Sunday), but I think we’ve earned it any which way,” St. Louis said on Wednesday. “In five years, nobody’s going to remember when we clinched. We put ourselves in a really good spot.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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