Ligue Nationale De Hockey: Montreal’s 100-point surge gives Caufield one more night to chase history
The arena lights were still bright in Newark when the Canadiens of Montreal left the ice with a 4-3 shootout win over the Devils, their eighth straight victory and a season total that had finally reached 100 points. The story of the night in the Ligue Nationale De Hockey was not just the scoreboard. It was also the unfinished chase of Cole Caufield, who stayed at 49 goals and carried that unanswered milestone into Sunday.
What did Montreal accomplish in New Jersey?
Montreal closed a five-game road trip with a win that completed a perfect trip away from home and lifted the club to 100 points for the first time since 2016-2017. The Canadiens had built a 3-0 lead before New Jersey fought back, but Oliver Kapanen settled the game in the fifth round of the shootout. Jakub Dobes stopped 35 shots, while Caufield and Ivan Demidov also scored in the tiebreaker.
For the Canadiens, the result also changed the shape of the standings. The win moved them ahead of the Buffalo Sabres into second place in the Atlantic Division, while they sat only two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning. In practical terms, the team had placed itself within reach of several goals at once: a ninth straight win, a stronger divisional position, and a possible playoff clinch in the next meeting with New Jersey.
Why does Cole Caufield’s 50-goal chase matter now?
Cole Caufield remained at 49 goals after finishing Saturday’s game without a goal in regulation, even though he produced two assists and later scored in the shootout. He had chances early, including a breakaway in the opening minute and another quality look a few minutes later, but Jake Allen held firm. The next game now carries added weight, because Caufield could become the first Canadiens player to reach 50 goals since Stephane Richer in 1989-1990.
The chase has become personal without losing its team context. Caufield’s total of 85 points shows how much he has already contributed, but the Canadiens have made clear that the milestone is secondary to the larger picture. That tension gives the story its human edge: one player waiting for a landmark, while the team keeps moving toward a bigger prize.
How is the team handling the pressure of a long road trip and a late comeback?
Martin St-Louis, the Canadiens head coach, kept the focus on the next shift rather than the season totals. “C’est certain que nous sommes fiers de ça, mais nous nous concentrons toujours sur le prochain match, la prochaine action sur la glace, ” he said after the game. He added that the club still needs to keep working, even with the standings looking far better than they did earlier in the season.
Mike Matheson said the group does not enjoy winning in that way, but emphasized that the method matters less once the playoffs begin. Nick Suzuki also pointed to the mental demand of the trip, describing the late stages as a battle in execution and concentration. Those comments suggest a team that sees the 100-point mark not as an ending, but as evidence that it can survive games when its structure slips and still find a result.
Dobes offered a similar message in direct terms: “Cent points, c’est bon, mais c’est seulement un nombre. Ce que nous voulons, c’est terminer au premier rang de notre division et nous placer dans la meilleure position possible pour amorcer les séries à la maison. ” His words captured the mood in the room: satisfaction, but no self-congratulation.
What happens next at the Centre Bell in Ligue Nationale De Hockey?
The Canadiens return home Sunday to face New Jersey again at the Centre Bell, with the chance to clinch a playoff spot by earning at least one point. The setting adds pressure and possibility at once. A full house could witness Montreal’s ninth straight victory, Caufield’s 50th goal, and perhaps another step toward first place in the division. Or the team may simply extend the same theme that has defined this stretch: work, resilience, and a refusal to treat 100 points as enough.
For now, the image from Newark remains vivid: Caufield still pressing, Dobes standing tall, and a team that learned how to win after losing its cushion. In the Ligue Nationale De Hockey, that kind of night can feel like a preview of something bigger. On Sunday, the unanswered question walks back onto home ice with the crowd.
