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Cole Caufield has joined some elite company, becoming the first Montreal Canadiens player to reach 50 goals in a season in more than 35 years.
Caufield, the 25-year-old sniper who is also in the running for the Maurice ‘Rocket’ Richard Trophy as the NHL’s top goal scorer, hit the milestone on home ice Thursday evening.
The Habs are taking on the Tampa Bay Lightning.
“Whenever he has a chance to shoot it, there’s a high chance it’s going in,” captain Nick Suzuki said last week. “He’s just playing the right way, doing the right things and he’s getting rewarded for it.”
Stéphane Richer was the last Canadiens player to reach that mark. He did it during the 1989-90 campaign.
Caufield became the seventh player in team history to net 50 goals.
Richer did it twice. Guy Lafleur did it six times. The other players to score that many goals in a season were Steve Shutt, Bernie Geoffrion, Pierre Larouche and Maurice Richard.
Caufield’s 86 points in his first 77 games were already 16 clear of his previous career high, and his play is helping Montreal cruise into the playoffs.
“We’re focused on our team game and winning games, and I think individual stuff comes with that,” Caufield said, echoing a refrain from coach Martin St Louis, a Hall of Fame player. “But doing the right things, you get more chances and opportunities.”
Milestone aside, Thursday’s game also has major playoff implications. The Canadiens have already clinched their spot but they’re jostling for positioning in the standings.
Both the Habs and the Lightning came into the game tied for second in the Atlantic Division at 102 points, two points behind the division-leading Buffalo Sabres.
