Liveblog: Cole Caufield has two assists as he chases 50, Habs lead Devils 3-2
The Canadiens (44-21-10) can hit the 100-point mark on the season in the first of a home-and-home series against the New Jersey Devils (39-34-2) on Saturday night at Prudential Center.
Puck drop at 7 p.m. (CityTV, Sportsnet East, TVA Sports, TSN Radio 690, 98.5 FM).
Here’s what you need to know:
- Can Cole Caufield become the first Canadiens player since Stephane Richer in 1989-90 to score 50 goals in a season? He’s one away, and has 28 goals in his past 27 games.
- If Caufield can’t get it done tonight, he’ll get another chance Sunday against the Devils at the Bell Centre.
- The Habs can also reach 100 points in the standings for the first time since 2016-17.
- No lineup changes are expected. Alexandre Carrier, Kirby Dach, Patrik Laine and Alexandre Texier remain out of the lineup.
- The only switch: Jakub Dobes should be back in goal after Jacob Fowler started in a 3-2 win over the New York Rangers on Thursday. Samuel Montembeault will back up Dobes.
- Defenceman Mike Matheson is playing his 700th career game.
- It’s been a miserable season for the Devils, but they’re 7-3-0 in their last 10 and could pose a problem for the Canadiens, who extended their current winning streak to seven on Thursday.
- How and where to watch the Canadiens on TV for the 2025-26 season.
- Blacked out on TSN2 or RDS? Here’s how to watch Canadiens games from Ontario and Western Canada.
No livestream tonight on the Hockey Inside Out YouTube channel. The livestream will return on Tuesday when the Florida Panthers visit the Bell Centre.
First Period: Habs fans flood Newark
You’d be forgiven for thinking it’s a home game for the Habs tonight. The stands were awash in bleu-blanc-rouge.
Defenceman Jayden Struble continued to make his mark on the lineup with a lightning quick shot that went in the net and out. Caufield and Arber Xhekaj drew assists. Devils outshot the Habs 14-9 in the first, but trailed by one at period’s end. 1-0 Canadiens
Second Period: 60 points for Demidov
With the Habs on the power play, Caufield set up Ivan Demidov to get his second helper of the night. The rookie hit the 60-point mark, and 14 of his 17 goals have come with the man-advantage. 2-0 Canadiens
Just 1:16 later, Lane Hutson added to Montreal’s lead with an unassisted goal. 3-0 Canadiens
Past the midway point of the game, Dawson Mercer beat Habs netminder Jakub Dobes from a sharp angle to get the Devils on the board. 3-1 Canadiens
The Habs then got a 4-minute power play, but it was the Devils who capitalized shorthanded. Jack Hughes scored on a Jesper Bratt setup on a 2-on-1 to pull the Devils to within one. 3-2 Canadiens
Third Period:
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