The Montreal Canadiens are facing the Tampa Bay Lightning in a playoff series, and once again they are the underdog. That familiar role is back at the start of a matchup that will open without Noah Dobson, leaving Montreal to lean harder on the players who can still drive offense.
Cole Caufield is one of them. He broke 50 goals for the first time in his career this season, becoming the first Canadiens player to reach that mark in more than 30 seasons. Against Tampa Bay, he has three goals and three assists in 12 career games, including two goals and two assists in four games this season. Three of those points came in the two most recent meetings, a useful sign for a team that will need scoring beyond its top names.
That need matters because Montreal already lived through this kind of test last season. The Canadiens picked up playoff experience against the Washington Capitals, but they also ran into the same problem that can sink an underdog: secondary scoring dried up when the games tightened. Tampa Bay, by contrast, arrives as a veteran group that knows how to win in the postseason.
The injury absence complicates the first chapter even more. Lane Hutson acknowledged Dobson's absence after practice on Thursday, a reminder that Montreal is entering the series with a key piece missing before the puck even drops. For the Canadiens, the path forward is plain enough: Caufield has to keep producing, and the players behind him have to do more than they did a year ago.
That is what will decide whether the Canadiens can do more than just make the series interesting.
