There’s no better time to get your first NHL goal than in overtime, and Cole Caufield delivered. The Montreal Canadiens’ 20-year-old rookie netted his first NHL goal on Saturday against the Ottawa Senators in a pivotal overtime, and he was absolutely ecstatic about it.
With the Canadiens and Senators tied 2-2 in overtime, Montreal possessed the puck and entered the zone in the three-on-three frame. Defenseman Jeff Petry was then able to slip around a Senator and pass the puck on his backhand to Caufield, who was at the right place at the right time to tap it in for his first NHL goal.
It was a beautiful play all around, as Caufield’s tip past Filip Gustavsson in net went up and over the goaltender’s outstretched glove.
‼️ BILBO DOES IT ‼️@colecaufield scores his first NHL goal in OT!
NHL x @trulyseltzer pic.twitter.com/NSniTKbeRQ
— NHL (@NHL) May 2, 2021
The goal was great, as was Caufield’s reaction to it, as the rookie looked over the moon to score such an important goal for his first in the NHL, with no doubt more to come.
"Probably the best (year) of my life."@colecaufield talks about how he's feeling after his first @NHL goal completed the comeback for the @MTLCanadiens. #NHLonSN pic.twitter.com/R3ziCLeXmC
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 2, 2021
The goal from Caufield completed a Canadiens comeback after the team went down 2-0 in the third period. Montreal was able to score twice in six minutes to force overtime, which set Caufield up for his incredible first NHL goal.
The overtime win for Montreal also knocks the Senators out of playoff contention while basically assuring the Canadiens postseason spot in the process. What a game and what a night for Caufield!
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