Caufield scores shootout winner, Canadiens beat Jets 3-2 to snap two-game skid

Montreal Canadiens' Oliver Kapanen (91) celebrates his goal with Mike Matheson (8) during second period NHL hockey action against the Winnipeg Jets, in Montreal on Wednesday, Dec. 3, 2025. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov)

Cole Caufield scored the shootout winner after a frantic overtime period as the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Winnipeg Jets 3-2 in a back-and-forth game on Wednesday.

Juraj Slafkovsky and Oliver Kapanen had goals in regulation as Montreal (14-9-3) snapped a two-game skid, including a 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators on Tuesday.

Jakub Dobes stopped 29 shots and all three shootout attempts.

Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor had a goal and an assist each for Winnipeg (13-12-1), which lost for the sixth time in seven games to end a five-game road trip.

Eric Comrie made 29 saves – including multiple desperation stops – after being pulled in Monday’s 5-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.

Scheifele opened the scoring with 1:25 remaining in the first period, firing a shot past Dobes glove side after Connor chased down the puck and set him up in the slot.

Slafkovsky finished off a tic-tac-toe play with Cole Caufield and Nick Suzuki on the power play to even the score at 9:59.

Winnipeg and Montreal then traded goals. Connor’s top-corner wrist shot ended a hectic offensive sequence that featured a broken Montreal stick and a lengthy puck battle outside Dobes’ crease, then Ivan Demidov set up fellow rookie Kapanen to tie at 14:03.

Takeaways

Canadiens: A strong night from Demidov. The 19-year-old Russian set up Kapanen with a slick pass, pushing his season total to 20 points in 26 games, and looked dangerous with the puck on his stick much of the night.

Jets: Comrie was solid in his fifth start since Connor Hellebuyck’s minor knee surgery on Nov. 22. Winnipeg welcomed back defenceman Neal Pionk, who missed four games with a lower-body injury.

Key moment

The Canadiens honoured longtime defenceman Andrei Markov with a pre-game tribute.

The Bell Centre crowd serenaded Markov with a more than two-minute ovation — and a chorus of “Olé, Olé” chants – before the soft-spoken Russian made a speech. Markov played all 16 of his NHL seasons in Montreal.

Key stat

Winnipeg’s top line of Scheifele, Connor and Gabriel Vilardi continued leading the way for the Jets. They’ve accounted for 11 of the team’s last 14 goals.

Up next

Canadiens: Visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Jets: Host the Buffalo Sabres on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 3, 2025.