Cole Caufield finally made his NHL debut. Last Monday, on April 29, 2021, the Montréal Canadiens played Cole against the Calgary Flames in a 2-1 win for the Habs. The rookie prodigy wore number 22, and played 20 shifts and recorded four shots. He played over 15 minutes, and he started on the Right Wing. Below, let’s dissect Caufield’s debut and some of his shifts.
At puck drop, Caufield lined up on the Right Wing to start the night. About 30 seconds in, he touched the puck for the first time before the Habs broke out of the zone. Less than 10 seconds later, he took his first shot, aimed at the top left corner, but Calgary Goalie Jacob Markstrom denied him. On his next shift, though, he was near centre ice and was too late to recover defensively, leading to Calgary hitting the post. With less than two minutes left in the first period, Caufield shot the puck from a steep angle to the right of the goal, leading to a juicy rebound, but Markstrom barely denied Montréal.
The rest of the game wasn’t quite as exciting, but it’s still worth analyzing. With about 12 minutes left in the second, Cole and his linemates disrupted the Flames’ breakout with stick checks before the Flames eventually brought the puck up. Then with 14 minutes left in regulation, he chipped the puck leading to a great scoring chance, but Markstrom robbed them of a potential game-clinching goal. Later, on the power play, Caufield one-timed the puck to the left of the goal, but Markstrom stopped the puck once more. With less than five minutes left in regulation, Caufield took a sharp-angled shot, which Markstrom stopped, before the Habs generated a slapper from the point.
Overall, I think Cole had an outstanding first game. He produced four shots, though many weren’t very dangerous, and his line created multiple scoring chances. On the forecheck, he was decent, and he wasn’t atrocious defensively like many rookies. Better yet, he didn’t turn the puck over. After his astounding debut, the former Hobey Baker winner is poised to enjoy a marvellous NHL career.
