The Montreal Canadiens forward, who scored an NHL career-high 51 times during the regular season, had just one goal through the first nine games of the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. And he must have felt as if he might never score again after missing a couple of open nets early in the second period of Montreal’s 6-2 victory against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round on Sunday.
So, imagine his relief when he finally put the puck into the net and gave the Canadiens a 2-1 lead at 6:05 of the second period, a lead they would not relinquish.
“Obviously, it feels good,” Caufield said. “But yeah, the team’s been winning and guys have been stepping up, and that’s been really big for me.
“I’ve just tried to be a good teammate and do what I can do to help the team win. Everybody’s been kind of picking me up, so it feels good to get one.”
When he finally did, he raised his arms and peered up into the stands at Bell Centre.
Maybe he was looking for his good luck charms named Perry Clinton, a resident of Australia’s Gold Coast, and Elisa Verdy, a Montrealer who moved down under more than a year ago to be with him.
“Basically, I would teach her how to surf,” Perry said. “We’d basically surf in the morning, go to the beach and then we basically would come home and turn on the Habs. She taught me all about hockey and the Habs, and I basically began falling in love with the game and with them.”
