Caufield stays at 49 goals, but Canadiens beat Devils 4-3 in shootout

Montréal Canadiens right wing Ivan Demidov (93) scores against New Jersey Devils goaltender Jake Allen (34) during a shootout in an NHL hockey game, Saturday, April 4, 2026, in Newark, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)

The Canadiens squandered a three-goal lead but kept their winning streak alive, while Cole Caufield will have to wait a little longer to reach the 50-goal milestone this season.

Oliver Kapanen scored the winner in the fifth round of the shootout, Jakub Dobes made 35 saves, and the Montreal club won their eighth consecutive game, 4-3 against the New Jersey Devils on Saturday night at Prudential Center.

The Canadiens reached the 100-point mark for the first time since the 2016-2017 season.

As for Caufield, he fired five shots on goal but remained stuck at 49, despite scoring in the first round of the shootout. The 25-year-old American is attempting to become the seventh player in Canadiens history to score 50 goals in a season, and the first since Stéphane Richer in 1989-90.

Guy Lafleur (six times), Richer (twice), Maurice Richard, Bernard Geoffrion, Steve Shutt and Pierre Larouche have all accomplished the feat in the bleu-blanc-rouge.

Jayden Struble, Ivan Demidov and Lane Hutson built a 3-0 lead for the Canadiens (45-21-10).

Dawson Mercer, Jack Hughes and Timo Meier then rallied the Devils (39-34-3). Jake Allen stopped 26 shots.

The two teams will meet again Sunday night at the Bell Centre.

Caufield made his presence felt on his very first shift. He got around Johnathan Kovacevic, but the Devils defenceman recovered in time to prevent Caufield from getting a shot off.

Moments later, Allen appeared to misread Caufield’s move, but made the save with the tip of his left pad.

Dobes, meanwhile, came up with a nice stop against Connor Brown while the Devils were on the power play.

Montreal opened the scoring at 15:58 of the first period, with Struble firing a precise shot into the top of the net on Allen’s glove side.

Shortly after, Brendan Gallagher redirected another Struble shot, but the puck hit the post to Allen’s right.

The Devils threatened early in the second period, but Dobes made a series of strong saves, blocking Meier, Lenni Hameenaho and Simon Nemec within the span of a few minutes.

Montreal extended its lead at 8:12 on the power play. Caufield set up Demidov with a sharp cross-ice pass, and the young winger finished with a one-timer.

Hutson added another just 1:16 later. Allen was caught out of position after an initial rush by Zachary Bolduc and Josh Anderson, and the Canadiens defenceman found the back of the net.

The momentum then shifted in New Jersey’s favour. Mercer beat Dobes through the upper left side at 13:08.

And just as the Canadiens appeared ready to put the game away with a four-minute power play, it was the home side that lit the lamp instead. After one unsuccessful odd-man rush, Hughes beat Dobes on another two-on-one at 17:40.

Both goaltenders were sharp in the third period, but Meier finally beat Dobes on his seventh shot of the game with 2:15 remaining in regulation — just as Allen had been pulled for an extra attacker.

After an overtime period with no shortage of chances, Kapanen ended it with a quick shot that caught Allen off guard.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 4, 2026.