Cole Caufield Is the Kind of Scorer the Canadiens Count On

Some players score goals; others seem to have a knack for scoring when their team needs it most. Cole Caufield is making a pretty good case that he belongs in the second group. On Saturday night, the Montreal Canadiens winger scored twice against Buffalo, including the overtime winner just 54 seconds into the extra period. In less than a minute, Caufield celebrated with his teammates, and the Bell Centre cheered. That's a pretty good night's work.

Caufield now has five goals in eight games to start the season. He’s 25, coming off a 50-goal season, and has already established himself as one of Montreal's most dangerous offensive players. The interesting question isn't whether he can score. We know he can. It's what kind of scorer he's becoming.

Caufield Is About More Than His Goal Total.

I know some people will look at the fact that Caufield has gone without a point in five of Montreal's eight games and wonder about his consistency. Fair enough. When you depend on a player to provide offence, you want to see him involved regularly. But hockey doesn't always work that way. Even the best goal scorers have quiet nights. Sometimes the chances don't come, sometimes the goalie is better, and sometimes the puck just refuses to cooperate.

What matters is whether a player can make those opportunities count when they arrive. Caufield's overtime winner was a good example. He got his chance, took the puck in alone, and finished the job. You don't need to make it more complicated than that.

Montreal Has Something Special in Caufield.

The Canadiens are still a young team learning how to win consistently. Saturday's game showed how quickly things can get uncomfortable. Montreal built a two-goal lead, watched Buffalo come back, and needed overtime to finish the job. Those are the sorts of games that can test a young team's patience. Having a scorer who can settle things is a pretty useful asset.

Caufield also holds the Canadiens’ franchise record with 14 regular-season overtime goals. That's not a bad little accomplishment for a player who is still just 25. I'm not suggesting every close game should end with Caufield playing the hero. That's asking too much of anybody. But Montreal doesn't need him to score every night to appreciate what he brings.

The Canadiens are trying to build something, and having a young scorer who can change a game in a single moment is a good place to start. Sometimes, you just have to appreciate what you've got while it's happening.