Canadiens Are Shining Bright In Overtime Early This Season

However, there’s one player in particular who has three game-winners this season — it’s Cole Caufield — the kid loves being clutch and scoring goals; what else do you need? Caufield broke a franchise record with his OT goal on Oct. 14 against the Seattle Kraken (a game which they shouldn’t have won) for the most overtime goals in franchise history, surpassing Max Pacioretty and Howie Morenz. It was his 11th. 

Montreal went to Chicago to face the Blackhawks in their third game of the season. The game was tied at two late in the third period, but after a collision in front of the net that brought Spencer Knight down, a healthy Kaiden Guhle would slap the go-ahead goal past Knight and score with 15 seconds left in the game to make it 3-2. While it wasn’t an overtime goal, it’s about as close as you can get, and you can still call it the game-winning goal.

Why Are the Canadiens Successful In Overtime?

When it comes to 3-on-3 hockey after regulation, puck possession is key, and the Canadiens have mastered that. Once they have possession of the puck, they tire out their opponents and force them to have long shifts. The teams that are good at this circle back to the center ice line once zone entry is established and make the fans groan if they’re cheering for the opposing team, but it works. Through the five minutes, puck hogging is the preferred way to go.

If the Canadiens do happen to lose the puck, they can count on Jakub Dobes to make a save because he’s that good. It’s a lethal combination that most teams in the league want to have so badly. The Habs are so good at passing and, most importantly, keeping the puck on their stick, you simply can’t take the puck away from them. They find the open passing lanes or just take a shot on goal that leads to more opportunities.

Head coach Martin St. Louis can throw out any three-way combination, and it’ll just work. The way Lane Hutson moves with the puck and diagnoses plays, Ivan Demidov’s passing mixed with his shot, or Caufield’s lethal snipes; it’s unstoppable. Then, you mix in all the other talent with Newhook, Matheson, and a young goal scorer in Oliver Kapanen, the Habs have unlimited options to rotate in throughout the OT period.

Unfortunately, there’s no 3-on-3 overtime format in the playoffs, just sudden death, so the Habs won’t be able to transfer the good play over. However, they have 44 goals scored on the season so far, which puts them third in the league in most goals scored, so Montreal still doesn’t struggle in scoring goals on the regular. But, every point in the regular season is crucial, because it can be the deciding factor on whether or not you make the playoffs or the seeding in general, especially with how tight the Eastern Conference is right now — there isn’t a team below 13 points. Either way, the Canadiens need to continue this momentum in winning close bouts throughout the rest of the season.