Cole Caufield: the definition of a clutch player

There are five players in the NHL tied for second place in this category, but they only have 12…

The difference is striking.

However, Caufield doesn’t just stand out when the score is tied, but also when the Canadiens are trailing by one goal.

After his first goal against the Sabres yesterday, he had scored 22 of his 31 goals when the score was tied or when his team was trailing by one goal.

The tweet below was posted after his first goal against the Sabres, so really, after his second goal (the game-winner), the statistic should be: 23 of his 32 goals.

This is a player who thrives in big moments, a “clutch” player as they say. The small forward has been given several nicknames: “Goal Caufield,” “Mr. Saturday Night,” but we could also call him “Cole Clutch Caufield.”

It’s great to have a guy like Auston Matthews on your team, but we all know that the Toronto Maple Leafs captain tends to disappear in the big moments.

Having a big scorer during the season can certainly help you position yourself well in the standings for the playoffs. At the end of the day, if that scorer doesn’t make a difference when your club needs it, it’s not worth much.

The goal of aclutch player is to elicit this reaction from the opposing team’s fans:

While these Sabres fans deeply dislike Ti-Cole, in Montreal, it’s quite the opposite, and habs fans can rejoice in having him on the team for several more years.

Overtime

– If Bill Zito manages to acquire Artemi Panarin, it would be very impressive.

– If one player is much taller than the other, should he still be penalized for hits to the head because of the difference in size?

– I love it.

– Interesting.

– Worth reading.