Cole Caufield’s go-ahead goal with 15 seconds remaining in regulation secured a dramatic 4-3 victory for the Montreal Canadiens over the visiting Minnesota Wild on Tuesday.
With the score tied 3-3, Caufield blasted a one-timer from the edge of the circle that beat a screened Jesper Wallstedt. It was Caufield’s 25th goal of the season and his seventh game-winning goal, tying the NHL lead.
The Canadiens have won two in a row, and Tuesday’s victory snapped a nine-game losing streak against the Wild. Montreal is only 2-17-1 in its last 20 games against Minnesota.
Lane Hutson had a goal and an assist for the Canadiens, and Ivan Demidov had two assists. Phillip Danault and Alexandre Carrier scored the Habs’ other goals.
Jakub Dobes stopped 16 of 19 shots to earn his 15th win of the season.
Vladimir Tarasenko had two power-play goals for the Wild, who are a modest 3-4-2 over their last nine games.
Brock Faber scored the Wild’s other goal, and Mats Zuccarello and Kirill Kaprizov each collected two assists.
Wallstedt stopped 29 of 33 shots, keeping his team afloat after the Habs’ early shooting barrage. The Canadiens held a 15-2 shots advantage in the first period, but Minnesota struck first on Tarasenko’s power-play tally at the 10:44 mark.
Montreal’s consistent pressure allowed the Habs to take the lead by the first intermission, beginning with Danault’s goal 15:22 into the opening period. Carrier then tipped in Mike Matheson’s shot at the 19:08 mark, giving Carrier four goals in his last five games.
Faber’s long-range shot through traffic beat Dobes for the equalizer at 10:16 of the second period. Hutson restored Montreal’s lead on a one-timer at the 12:35 mark, with Demidov setting Hutson up with a canny no-look pass.
The Habs ran into penalty trouble in the third period, leading to Tarasenko’s second power-play goal of the game. Tarasenko scored 12:40 into the third frame, just seconds after a 5-on-3 advantage expired for Minnesota.
Tarasenko has 13 goals this season, with five of those markers coming over the veteran forward’s last three games.
–Field Level Media
