Canadiens’ Cole Caufield’s Top 5 Historic Overtime Goals

Not all overtime goals are built the same. Now the author of a franchise-record 11 himself, Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield probably knows that better than just about anyone. Take for instance the biggest overtime goal of which he’s been a part, which came in Game 5 of the first round of the 2021 Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Teammate Nick Suzuki finished off a two-on-zero give-and-go with Caufield to give the Canadiens some life when they had been down 3-1 in the series to the Toronto Maple Leafs. The rest is history, with the Habs coming back to defeat the rival Maple Leafs en route to an unlikely but incredibly entertaining run to the Stanley Cup Final.

Knowing what everyone knows now, how much of a goal-scoring threat Caufield is, even outside of three-on-three, you have to respect his decision to pass on that one play. Granted, Caufield would only be a rookie vying for (and ultimately losing out on) the Calder Memorial Trophy the following season. So, it’s understandable any other player in his skates would defer to the “veteran” in the then-21-year-old Suzuki in that situation.

However, you also have to take into consideration that, even then, Caufield had begun to establish himself as a threat in situations like that. Here are the top five overtime goals of his career (so far), taking into account things like significance and style:

5. Toronto Maple Leafs (May 3, 2021)

This was Caufield second-ever overtime goal, but Canadiens fans didn’t need to wait long after his first, as it came literally one game later. Against the Maple Leafs again, soon after joining the Habs upon closing out his collegiate career at the end of the 2020-21 season, Caufield got the puck entering the slot and made no mistake wristing it past goalie Jack Campbell.

As alluded to in the introduction, this goal effectively established Caufield as a goal-scoring threat (at the NHL level, as he had always been one as an amateur). It proved his first was no fluke, and, coming in the middle of a playoff race, during which the Canadiens would literally lose their next (and last) five games (of the season), it made a huge difference as they stumbled into the posteason, successfully holding off the Calgary Flames for the last North Division berth.

The fact it probably got Campbell thinking too much on Suzuki’s Game 5 winner three weeks later? Icing on the cake.

4. Ottawa Senators (May 1, 2021)

Similar circumstances as above, as this was literally just two days earlier against another longtime rival in the Ottawa Senators. The Canadiens were in the middle of a playoff race, yada, yada, yada. However, this one wasn’t just Caufield’s first-ever overtime goal. It was his first goal ever.

Then-Canadiens defenseman Jeff Petry passed it across the crease to a streaking Caufield who simply tipped it in past goalie Filip Gustavsson. Or, rather, Caufield made it look simple.

A sign of things to come?

3. St. Louis Blues (Feb. 17, 2022)

This goal was literally a carbon copy of the one before. Petry passed it over to a streaking Caufield through the crease for the tip-in, this time past Ville Husso.

So, what was so special about this one? A few things, including how Caufield had tied the game 2-2 late with just 10 seconds left to set up the dramatic finish.

Recency bias may give the edge to a similar victory over the Nashville Predators a few weeks ago relative to this one. Against the Preds, Caufield not only tied the record, but had tied it up with 20 seconds left in regulation no less. That’s still impressive stuff.

Against the Blues though, the win snapped a 10-game losing streak, in the middle of which the Canadiens had made a coaching change, replacing Dominique Ducharme with Martin St. Louis. That also makes this otherwise random win in the middle of a last-place season the current head coach’s first-ever. So, technically, St. Louis owes a sliver of his success to Caufield… just like Caufield does in large part to St. Louis.

It’s easy to forget now, but, under Ducharme during his rookie season, Caufield had struggled significantly. He literally had just a single goal and eight points through his first 30 games before the change. He ended the season with 23 total markers (43 points) in 67 games, which translates to 22 in 37 under St. Louis. The next season he scored 26 (10 assists) in 46 games before being shut down early due to injury. That means, in his first 83 games under St. Louis, Caufield scored 48 times. You can probably see by now why Caufield is generally considered a huge threat regardless of whether it’s in overtime or not.

2. Seattle Kraken (Oct. 28, 2025)

This is the record-breaking goal in question.

On the play, Caufield showed incredible stickhandling wizardry and outright confidence, effectively going at it alone against the entire Seattle Kraken for his second overtime goal against them in a matter of literal weeks. He first prevented a Berkly Catton steal off a pass from Suzuki before going around defenseman Vince Dunn and then tucking it in from behind goalie Joey Daccord.