Caufield scores first NHL goal, wins game for Canadiens against Senators

MONTREAL --Cole Caufield scored his first NHL goal at 2:25 of overtime, and the Montreal Canadiens strengthened their position in the Scotia North Division with a 3-2 win against the Ottawa Senators at Bell Centre on Saturday.

"To have a moment like that, it's pretty unbelievable and probably still hasn't hit me yet," Caufield said. "But I haven't even seen it. I don't really remember everything about it. But it was a really special moment and I'm just happy we got those big two points tonight."
Caufield drove to the net and redirected Jeff Petry's pass inside the right post in his fourth game for the Canadiens, who trailed 2-0 in the third period. The 20-year-old was selected by Montreal with the No. 15 pick in the 2019 NHL Draft.
"Obviously he's a shooter, he's had his chances and opportunities, and for him to get it there, to get us a big two points, it's huge," Petry said. "And it's a big goal for our team and it's a big goal for him. I think you'll see now he's got one, some confidence will build, and it's an exciting night for him."

Petry and Tyler Toffoli scored, and Cayden Primeau made 21 saves in his second start for Montreal (23-18-9), which is fourth in the North, eight points ahead of the fifth-place Calgary Flames. The top four teams will qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Tim Stützle and Thomas Chabot scored for Ottawa (19-27-5), which was eliminated from playoff contention.
"We knew Montreal needed those points and they need every single point they can for the rest of the season," Chabot said. "And we knew that they were going to come out hard, and obviously we had a little letdown there at the end, the last 13, 15, whatever minutes it is."
Petry scored at 8:12 of the third period to get the Canadiens within 2-1.
Toffoli's power-play goal tied it at 2-2 at 14:25. It came minutes after Nick Suzuki scored at 10:37, but Ottawa used a coach's challenge for goaltender interference and the call on the ice was overturned.
It was the third time the Canadiens have come back to win after trailing by multiple goals this season, and the second game in a row. They trailed 2-0 and 3-1 against the Winnipeg Jets on Friday before scoring four straight goals in a 5-3 win.
"I'm really happy for the kid, for sure," Canadiens coach Dominique Ducharme said of Caufield. "I mean, it's special to be scoring your first NHL goal in overtime, but I'm happy for the team too. You know, it's a big win. And we were resilient. We played with attitude and character, and that's something that we talked about in the last few days that we want to carry on. So I like the way we reacted and it was a happy ending for everyone."

Stützle gave Ottawa a 1-0 lead at 14:52 of the second period when he scored after a face-off win with a wrist shot through traffic.
Chabot made it 2-0 at 5:51 of the third.
"For two periods we played OK, and then in the third period we didn't manage the puck at all," Senators coach D.J. Smith said. "We just kept giving it away and changing. We didn't make plays. That's not our game."
Filip Gustavsson made 36 saves in his first start for Ottawa since April 1.
"We could have easily won this game if we'd gotten some bounces in the third," Gustavsson said. "Montreal has a good team and sometimes they make good plays."
NOTES:The Senators failed to qualify for the playoffs for the fourth straight season. Ottawa last made the postseason in 2016-17, when it lost Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Final to the Pittsburgh Penguins in double overtime. … Caufield scored four points (three goals, one assist) in two games with Laval of the American Hockey League after scoring 52 points (30 goals, 22 assists) in 31 games for the University of Wisconsin this season. … The Canadiens trailed the Edmonton Oilers by two goals April 5 before rallying for a 3-2 overtime win. … Montreal defenseman Shea Weber (lower body) missed his second straight game.