Thrilling Finish in Montreal
On a thrilling Tuesday evening in Montreal, Cole Caufield delivered a dramatic finish, scoring the decisive goal just 15 seconds before the final buzzer to secure a 4-3 victory for the Canadiens over the Minnesota Wild. This marked Caufield’s 25th goal of the season, coming after a clever assist from teammate Nick Suzuki, as he unleashed a shot from the top of the right circle.
Key Contributions
Montreal’s contributions came from several players: Phillip Danault, breaking his scoring drought, netted his first goal of the season; Alexandre Carrier found the net, and rookie Lane Hutson scored as well. Ivan Demidov, in a standout performance, recorded two assists, while goaltender Jakub Dobes made 16 saves to help his team clinch the win.
Wild’s Performance
For Minnesota, Vladimir Tarasenko shone brightly once again, scoring two goals, and Brock Faber added another to the tally. The Wild had just come off a strong performance, defeating the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3 prior to this contest, with goaltender Jesper Wallstedt making 29 saves that game.
Game Highlights
The scoring opened with Tarasenko capitalizing on a power play at 10:44 in the first period, netting Minnesota’s second shot of the game with a powerful one-timer. However, Danault quickly leveled the score at 15:22 by jamming in a rebound. Carrier then put Montreal ahead with less than a minute left in the opening period, artfully redirecting a shot from Mike Matheson after a strong entry into the Wild’s zone.
The second period saw Faber equalizing for Minnesota at 10:16 with a wrist shot that slipped under Dobes’ left pad. But Montreal responded with Hutson scoring at 12:35, courtesy of a pass from Demidov from an acute angle.
Minnesota got a chance to tie the game when Hutson and Matheson were penalized, giving the Wild a 5-on-3 power play. Tarasenko capitalized on this opportunity after Hutson returned to the ice, scoring his second goal and reducing the deficit to one.
Roster Updates
In roster news, the Canadiens welcomed back forward Kirby Dach, who had been sidelined since November 15 due to a broken foot sustained while blocking a shot. Forward Alexandre Texier was absent, dealing with a lower-body injury. Meanwhile, the Wild were missing several key players, including forwards Marcus Johansson, Joel Eriksson Ek, and Matt Boldy, as well as defensemen Jonas Brodin and Zach Bogosian.
Looking Ahead
Looking ahead, the Wild will host the Detroit Red Wings on Thursday, while the Canadiens will face off against the Buffalo Sabres on the same night.
