Cole Caufield scored the tiebreaking goal with 5:05 remaining in the third period as the Montreal Canadiens recovered from blowing a two-goal lead and extended their season-long winning streak to seven games with 3-2 victory over the host New York Rangers Thursday night.
Caufield scored his 48th and 49th goals in spectacular fashion as the Canadiens (44-21-10, 98 points) won a seventh straight game for the first time since Oct. 18-Nov. 2, 2016.
After Nick Suzuki won a defensive zone faceoff from New York captain J.T. Miller, the Canadiens quickly moved the puck up ice. Mike Matheson found Caufield on the left wing and the 25-year-old made a move around Rangers’ defenseman Vladislav Gavrikov before lifting the puck over goalie Igor Shesterkin.
Caufield scored for the fourth straight game and has nine goals during Montreal’s winning streak and 28 in his past 27 games. His next goal will give him Montreal’s first 50-goal season since Stephane Richer had 51 goals during the 1989-90 season.
Caufield also scored on a slick one-timer from the right circle to give the Canadiens a 2-0 lead 6:20 into the second. After Juraj Slafkovsky made a behind-the-back pass, Caufield, who skated unmarked between faceoff circles, rocketed the shot past Shesterkin.
Caufield scored 1:44 after Alex Newhook buried a one-timer off a feed from rookie Ivan Demidov.
The Canadiens needed Caufield’s second goal because rookie goalie Jacob Fowler was beaten by Adam Fox and Will Cuylle in a nearly five-minute span earlier in the third.
Fox beat Fowler with a shot from the right circle 9:23 into the third, and Cuylle scored on a re-direction of Jonny Brodzinski’s shot while jostling with Montreal defenseman Noah Dobson in the crease.
Fowler made 21 saves, including three during a four-minute double minor penalty to Slafkovsky in the first period.
Shesterkin stopped 22 shots.
The Rangers (31-36-9, 71 points) saw a three-game winning streak stopped and dropped to 3-6-1 in their past 10 games.
–Field Level Media
