A Montreal Canadiens player has never taken home the vaunted Maurice “Rocket” Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer but Cole Caufield has a chance to change that this year.
Caufield is second in goals heading into Thursday’s action with 44, two back of leader Nathan MacKinnon, who has 46 for the Colorado Avalanche.
Both players have played 69 games this season but Caufield has had a significant edge in goal-scoring production since returning from the Olympic break.
Caufield has 12 goals in his past 12 games, including four in Montreal’s last two contests, while MacKinnon has six in his past 14 games.
More than half of MacKinnon’s goal output this season has come on the power play with 27, compared to Caufield, who has just 10 of his 44 on the man advantage. Caufield has also never scored an empty-net goal in his NHL career. MacKinnon has five empty netters this season.
Caufield became the first Canadiens player to score 40 goals in a season since Vincent Damphousse in 1993-94 but 50 is within range now for the 25-year-old winger. Montreal has not had a player score 50 goals in a season since Stephane Richer in 1989-90.
Six players in Canadiens’ franchise history (Richard, Bernie Geoffrion, Guy Lafleur, Steve Shutt, Pierre Larouche and Richer) have reached 50 goals in a campaign, with Lafleur achieving the feat six times and Richer twice.
It is a closer race this season for the Rocket compared to last year as Edmonton Oilers superstar Leon Draisaitl’s 52 goals edged out second-place finisher William Nylander’s 45.
The NHL awards race has also heated up significantly in the other categories, including the Hart Trophy.
Tampa Bay’s Nikita Kucherov has emerged as the frontrunner (at -190 odds on FanDuel), edging out MacKinnon (+175) and Connor McDavid (+2200).
Kucherov has 11 goals and 29 points in his past 15 games, as he’s also pulled ahead in the Art Ross Trophy race with 120 points, two ahead of Connor McDavid.
The 32-year-old winger captured last year’s Art Ross and is the favourite to win the award for a fourth time, with 37 goals and 121 points in 78 games. He’s already blown past the goal total with 40 this season and is just four assists back of last year’s benchmark of 84.
For the Norris Trophy, Columbus Blue Jackets defenceman Zach Werenski has moved ahead of Colorado’s Cale Makar with -360 odds. He finished second in Norris Trophy voting last season as Makar took home the award.
Werenski is second in defensive scoring (77 points) and TOI (26:21) as the Blue Jackets have leapt into second in the Metropolitan Division.
NHL defencemen point leaders March 26
Lightning goalie Andrei Vasilevskiy, the 2019 Vezina Trophy winner, is the current running favourite to capture the award for a second time as the NHL’s top goaltender.
He is currently beating out New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (+145) and Jeremy Swayman of the Boston Bruins (+5500).
Among all goaltenders that have played at least 22 games this season, Vasilevskiy is second in goals-against average (2.30) and fourth in save percentage (.914) while leading the NHL in wins with 34.
In the coach of the year race, Buffalo Sabres bench boss Lindy Ruff is the leading candidate for the Jack Adams Award.
Ruff has the Sabres atop the Atlantic Division and on track to make the playoffs for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The 66-year-old previously won the Jack Adams in 2005-06 when he coached the Sabres to the Eastern Conference Final.
