Cole Caufield has an innate talent for scoring goals. We already knew that. But he also has a flair for spectacle in extra time.
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The Canadian has now won two of his four wins this season in overtime. Caufield scored the winning goal both times. He did it last Saturday against Darcy Kuemper and the Washington Capitals. And he recreated the same scenario against Elvis Merzlikins and the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The diminutive No. 22 danced with the puck in the offensive zone, beat freshman Adam Fantilli and then fired a quick shot to beat Merzlikins. “Sometimes I wish we had won our games after three periods, but the feeling of a winning goal in overtime is always cool,” Caufield said with his classic smile.
The colossus Arber Xhekaj did not hesitate to eliminate Emil Bemstrom in the second period. Photo Martin Chevalier
The Montembeault judgment
There isn’t just one key player in this victory. Samuel Montembeault and Mike Matheson also had their say.
Just in overtime, Montembeault performed a small miracle by blocking a powerful shot from Johnny Gaudreau with his left ball in a four-on-three game.
“Gaudreau slowly came towards me while raising his stick, I stopped him thanks to a reflex,” explained number 35. “It was just a reaction on my part. If it’s a slap shot, it’s even harder to read than a wrist shot. »
Well positioned in front of Samuel Montembeault, attacker Mathieu Olivier tried to deflect the puck behind the Canadian goalkeeper. Photo Martin Chevalier
With one goal, one assist, 28 minutes and 3 seconds of playing time, five blocked shots and eight attempts, Matheson was everywhere on the ice. In extra time, number 8 showed all his courage by blocking a shot from defender Damon Severson at the end of the penalty to Brendan Gallagher.
“Mike plays a lot of minutes and helps drive the attack,” remembers Martin St-Louis. But he is also brave, he puts himself in the foreground. Winning often hurts. You have to pay the price. »
In the first half, Alex Newhook was unable to take advantage of the opportunity presented to him and goalkeeper Elvis Merzlikins had the final say. Photo Martin Chevalier
The embassy from Saint-Louis
In the CH dressing room, Nick Suzuki, Rafaël Harvey-Pinard, Caufield and Matheson also looked towards their coach to explain this victory. After the first half, in which the Jackets led 2-0, St-Louis decided to talk to his players.
“We were persistent in the first third,” said St-Louis. As a trainer you have to be careful that the ammunition is not constantly used up. You have to be careful. I always try to be rational. But it is certain that after such an initial period we will have a very honest conversation. »