After the Montreal Canadiens blew a two-goal lead early in the third period, Cole Caufield was determined to find a way to win. With just 4:31 remaining, Caufield scored on a rebound past Nico Daws, leading the Canadiens to a 3-2 victory over the New Jersey Devils on Wednesday night.
“When we’re at our best, we’re aggressive and on top of our opponents,” said Caufield. “Our forecheck is a key factor in our play, and I liked how we performed today. Each team requires a different strategy, but we stayed focused even after losing our two-goal lead.”
Caufield’s game-winner came after Daws stopped a slap shot from defenseman Jordan Harris, with Sean Monahan nudging the puck towards the goal line, allowing Caufield to score his 14th goal of the season.
Juraj Slafkovsky and Joshua Roy also scored for the Canadiens, who earned their second consecutive win and improved to 4-2-2 in their last eight games. Goalie Sam Montembeault made 28 saves.
Luke Hughes and Alexander Holtz scored power-play goals for New Jersey within the first 1:37 of the third period to tie the game. Daws made 22 saves in his third consecutive start.
“It was tough not being able to kill the four-minute penalty,” said Montreal coach Martin St. Louis. “New Jersey gained momentum after those goals, and the crowd was behind them. But we regrouped and pushed back.”
The Devils now have a 9-10-2 record at home compared to 13-7-1 on the road, a trend that doesn’t support their playoff hopes.
“We fought back but then made a critical error, allowing a goal with about five minutes left,” said forward Timo Meier, who returned to the lineup after missing six games. “Small mistakes like that cost you games.”
New Jersey got a break late in the second period when Nick Suzuki was called for a double minor for high-sticking defenseman Kevin Bahl. While they didn’t score in the final 45 seconds of the period, Hughes and Holtz’s power-play goals tied the game.
Hughes’ shot deflected off Montreal forward Jake Evans, while Holtz scored his 11th of the season with a shot from the top of the left circle.
The Canadiens opened the scoring when a puck-handling mistake by Daws led to Caufield setting up Slafkovsky for his sixth goal of the season and second in two games. Roy, playing his third NHL game, doubled the lead with a close-range goal set up by Monahan. It was Roy’s first NHL goal, and Monahan quickly retrieved the puck for the 20-year-old.
UP NEXT
- Canadiens: Visit Ottawa on Thursday.
- Devils: Travel to Columbus on Friday.
