Two Montreal Canadiens forwards who had been struggling with goal scoring slumps stepped up big in the team’s 5-3 win over the New York Islanders on Saturday night at the Bell Centre.
Josh Anderson scored two goals, his first two with a goaltender in the net since March, and Cole Caufield scored for the first time in December. What struck me most about Anderson’s game was that he looked a lot more like the Anderson who has had success in the past.
Anderson has had opportunities, but the majority of them were created for him rather than by him, which is the polar opposite of how his success has occurred. On Saturday, he led the team in individual expected goals for, and when he was on the ice, he was in the top half of expected goals for. I’m not saying Anderson is back, but now that the slump is over, he may be able to focus on the things that made him successful in the past.
With injuries to Kirby Dach and Alex Newhook, the 2023-24 Canadiens rely on Josh Anderson to succeed, and they are a better team when he is producing. It was encouraging to see him score, and even more encouraging to see him start doing positive things, which led to his second goal.
Caufield went seven games without scoring, but unlike Anderson, he was still one of the team’s better players during that time. Just because he wasn’t producing offence didn’t mean he wasn’t, and the same goes for Juraj Slafkovsk and Nick Suzuki since the trio was formed.
What has struck me about Caufield is that he has always been defined by his goals, even since his draft year. When goal scorers aren’t scoring goals, they aren’t always contributing positively. Caufield has evolved into a great player who is more than his goal and point totals.
Having said that, scoring goals is a big part of Caufield’s identity, and you could see his relief when the puck went in. The reward is still important at the end of the day, and it was nice to see that line, and Caufield in particular, rewarded.
Caufield’s goal made the score 4-0, but it was a crucial goal because the Islanders scored three goals in a row in the third period. The third period of the Canadiens doesn’t bother me. Only three teams have played with a lead less than the Canadiens in 2023-24. Even including Saturday night, they have only had 403:03 with a lead in all situations.
Coming into the third period with a 4-0 lead is something the Canadiens haven’t done in a long time. Teams must learn to play with a lead, and the Canadiens will benefit from this experience.
The good news is that they still received two points in regulation, so it’s a learning experience without the harsh lesson.
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