About Last Night: Cole Caufield sets sights on 50 goals with Saturday night hat trick
Tonight had all the pain and joy of watching the Canadiens in 2025-26. The first line was dominant with a 13-point performance and the team pulled away to victory in the third period. But before that, there were multiple lead changes and moments where the Islanders had the edge.
Jacob Fowler started in goal after Jakub Dobes got consecutive starts during the week, and he allowed three goals on 22 shots. He didn’t need to stand on his head with Caufield and Slafkovsky doing all the damage on offence. Saturday night truly belongs to Caufield, who is now on pace for a 51-goal campaign.
It was also a promising evening for Guhle, who only played 16:21 but was plus-3 with three points. He also asserted himself physically from the opening draw, which came at the right time after the team was criticized for lack of toughness in their Thursday loss to the Detroit Red Wings. Mike Matheson also recovered from his slip up in Detroit with a plus-1 during a team-leading 21:45 of ice time.
Last night was the first in a three-game homestand for the Habs. They take on the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday and the Columbus Blue Jackets on Thursday. The Hockey Inside Out YouTube livestream will return for those two games.
