50 Buts En 50 Matchs: Caufield gets another shot for the Canadiens
50 buts en 50 matchs is back at the center of attention in Montreal as Cole Caufield gets another chance to reach the mark when the Canadiens host the Devils at the Centre Bell on Sunday night. The game follows a 4-3 Canadiens win in New Jersey on Saturday and starts after the pregame show at 6: 30 p. m. ET. Montreal can also clinch a playoff berth with at least one standings point, while a ninth straight win is on the line.
Caufield returns to the spotlight
The Canadiens forward entered the latest game one goal away from the milestone and left with two assists in the 4-3 victory over New Jersey. That ended his four-game goal streak, but he still has 28 points in his last 28 games, keeping 50 buts en 50 matchs within reach as the team heads into the rematch.
Sunday’s meeting gives Caufield another chance to become the first Canadien to score 50 goals in a season since Stéphane Richer in 1989-1990. It would also place him among a small group in franchise history, with the spotlight now fixed on whether he can finish the job at home.
Playoff pressure and a rare winning streak
The bigger team picture is just as sharp. Montreal can secure a postseason spot with one point, which would confirm the club’s place in the spring tournament and add another layer to an already strong late-season push. A win would also give the Canadiens a ninth straight victory for the first time in more than a decade, matching a run last reached on Oct. 24, 2015, against Toronto.
There is more at stake for captain Nick Suzuki, too. He is five points away from 100, a mark that would make him the first Canadien since Mats Naslund in 1985-1986 to reach that total.
Reactions around the room
Caufield said in an interview with NHL. com that his competitive side would like to keep the scoring record in place a little longer, but added that Suzuki and the Canadiens “deserve to have another player at 100 points. ” The message reflects the mood around a team that is winning while still operating with the language of a rebuild.
The attention around 50 buts en 50 matchs has also spilled beyond the rink. On Sunday morning, the cheapest tickets for the evening game at the Centre Bell were selling for more than $600, a sign of how much interest this chase has drawn.
What comes next at the Centre Bell
Montreal now has a clear path for the rest of the night: beat the Devils again, keep the winning streak alive, and keep both the playoff math and the individual milestones moving in the same direction. If the Canadiens finish the regular season with a perfect stretch from here, they would close with 112 points, a total that would sit among the best in team history. For now, all eyes are on 50 buts en 50 matchs and whether Sunday night becomes the moment Caufield finally clears the last hurdle.
