Cole Caufield broke 50 goals for the first time in his career, and the Montreal Canadiens will need more of that scoring touch as they open a playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning. Montreal is the underdog in the matchup, and it will begin the series without Noah Dobson.
Caufield became the first Canadiens player to reach 50 goals in more than 30 seasons, a mark that gives Montreal a rare proven finisher at exactly the moment the stakes rise. He has three goals and three assists in 12 career games against Tampa Bay, and this season he produced two goals and two assists in four games against the Lightning.
Three of those points came in the teams’ recent two meetings, a reminder that Caufield has found ways to matter against a veteran Tampa Bay team that knows how to defend in the spring. That matters because the Canadiens struggled with secondary scoring in the playoffs last season, and the burden again may fall on a small group of players to keep them close.
On Thursday after practice, Lane Hutson was asked how his role might change without Dobson, a sign that Montreal is already adjusting to one early absence before the series has even started. The Canadiens can hope Caufield’s scoring travels, but their path against the Lightning looks narrow if the goals stop at the top of the lineup.