Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens visited the New York Rangers on Thursday night, in a bid to extend their late-season winning streak to seven games.
It was a rather low event game to start, but it picked up steam through the periods, with the Canadiens eventually emerging with the 3-2 victory.
As per tradition, Habs sniper Cole Caufield made his mark, scoring two goals to push his season tally to 49.
Let’s dive into the highlights!
Slow And Steady
The first period featured very few high-danger scoring chances, with the teams preferring to offer a tentative style of play. It wasn’t until the second period that Alex Newhook broke the ice, providing yet more evidence that his presence on the second line has done wonders for the entire top six.
Rookie Ivan Demidov registered his 43rd assist of the year, a continuation of his underrated freshman season in the NHL.
Ivan Demidov sets up Alex Newhook. 1-0 #GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/Vv9Ginue4W
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 3, 2026
Mr. Every Night
Cole Caufield followed suit just a few moments later, scoring his 48th goal in the process. As per usual, both Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky participated in the scoring play, with the latter providing an elite assist to his linemate.
With seven games left in the regular season, Caufield’s odds of reaching the illustrious 50-goal mark keep improving.
Cole Caufield is now at 48 goals!
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 3, 2026
A great assist by Slafkovsky on this play. #GoHabsGo up 2-0. pic.twitter.com/kgZz94yWOd
Defensive Shell
While it’s more than fair to say rookie netminder Jacob Fowler had a solid outing, it’s also important to note that the Canadiens did a great job mitigating the high-danger scoring chances by the Rangers.
They limited New York to just three high-danger chances at 5v5 in the first 40 minutes of play, one of their best defensive efforts of the season. There’s something to be said about the level of competition on Thursday night, but the Habs have a tendency to play down to their opponents, making their defensive shell an important step as they prepare for the rigours of the playoffs.
Un arrêt de la jambière spectaculaire
— Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 3, 2026
Kick save and a beauty#GoHabsGo pic.twitter.com/TRk546kqj5
Another One
The Rangers tied the game in the third period, the perfect setup for Caufield’s 49th goal of the year, resulting from a fantastic individual effort.
The Canadiens had just won a defensive draw, which goes to show how quickly Caufield can make his presence known in the offensive zone.
With the goal, Caufield secured the 3-2 win.
49 goals for Cole Caufield!
— Montreal Hockey Now (@MTLhockeynow) April 3, 2026
Just seconds after a defensive zone draw, Caufield scores the go-ahead goal. #GoHabSGo pic.twitter.com/d6h6ZJhYB3
The Montreal Canadiens will be back in action on Thursday, facing the New Jersey Devils. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 pm ET.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
