Canadiens Take a Step Forward in Crucial Win Over Golden Knights
MONTREAL - Cole Caufield didn’t need a reminder of what was at stake heading into the third period Tuesday night. He’d lived it just days earlier in Boston - a one-goal lead slipping away in the final frame, a learning opportunity missed.
So when he told TSN’s Kenzie Lalonde that the third period against the Vegas Golden Knights was “the biggest period of the year,” he wasn’t speaking in clichés. He was speaking from experience.
This is where the Montreal Canadiens are in their evolution - not just trying to win games, but learning how to close them. That’s the difference between a team that competes and one that contends. And for this young Canadiens group, Tuesday night was a step in the right direction.
Heading into the season, Montreal had a track record under Martin St. Louis of leading after two periods once every 3.45 games.
This year, that number has improved to once every 2.52 games. Progress.
And when they’ve had the lead after 40 minutes, they’ve been solid - entering Tuesday night with a 15-3-2 record in those situations.
But the loss in Boston still stung. It wasn’t just about the result - it was about how they got there.
So when Caufield and the Canadiens found themselves in a familiar spot against Vegas, the question wasn’t just whether they could win. It was whether they’d learned.
The Result: A 3-2 Overtime Win and a Lesson in Progress
Jake Evans played the hero in overtime, burying the game-winner and capping off a night that felt like a small but meaningful breakthrough. Rookie goaltender Jakub Dobeš was outstanding in net, turning aside 32 shots and giving Montreal the kind of performance they didn’t get in Boston. His calm presence helped steady a young team still figuring out how to manage pressure.
Evans, who later texted his wife that he’d just experienced “a top moment” in his career, wasn’t blind to the imperfections. Even in victory, he saw areas that needed polish.
“There’s still a lot to work on,” Evans said. “I don’t think a lot of teams have this magic formula of holding leads. It’s hard in this league.”
He’s right. Protecting a one-goal lead in the NHL is one of the toughest tasks in the sport.
Teams chasing the game play with more desperation, more risk - and that can create chaos. The key is managing that chaos without becoming passive.
“There’s just moments in third periods when you have the lead that you have to just realize that’s not the smart play,” Evans added. “There’s safer plays and ways of possessing pucks and keeping leads and staying out of your d-zone.”
Two Key Moments That Told the Story
Martin St. Louis had been clear in practice after the Boston loss: decision-making under pressure had to improve. And two sequences in the third period Tuesday night showed both the progress and the work still left to do.
The first came with just over six minutes to play. Phillip Danault won an offensive-zone faceoff cleanly back to Kaiden Guhle at the blue line. With traffic in front, Guhle fired - but the shot was blocked and quickly turned into a Vegas transition the other way.
St. Louis had addressed this exact scenario the day before: “(Defencemen), you can’t get your shots blocked up a goal,” he said.
“You’ve just got to miss the guy. It doesn’t have to be on net, but you’ve got to miss the guy.”
It’s not about being conservative - it’s about being smart. A blocked shot at the wrong time can be just as costly as a turnover.
The second moment came with a little more than three minutes left. Caufield, on the ice for 35 seconds, had the puck in the neutral zone with time and space.
Instead of carrying it in and establishing zone time, he flipped it deep and headed to the bench for a change. The intention was right - Caufield needed a change - but the execution gave the Golden Knights a free breakout.
Ten seconds later, Pavel Dorofeyev scored the tying goal.
St. Louis had talked about this too.
“In the third period, the team knows we want a deep game,” he said. “But it doesn’t mean we don’t possess across the line.
You’ve got to keep playing.”
It’s a subtle distinction, but a critical one. Sometimes, the safer play isn’t the smarter one.
Growth, Not Perfection
Despite the late equalizer, Montreal regrouped and found a way. Evans’ overtime goal sealed it, and Caufield was the first to meet him off the bench, grinning like he’d scored it himself.
That moment - a veteran of overtime heroics celebrating a teammate’s first - said something about the culture St. Louis is building.
Afterward, Caufield reflected on the win with a mix of relief and pride.
“There were times the past couple of games where we had opportunities to extend leads or find a way to shut it down,” he said. “I thought tonight, regardless that they scored, I thought we played pretty well five-on-five. Just another game that we deserved to win.”
It wasn’t a perfect third period. They could’ve closed it out in regulation.
But this was a night about more than just the scoreboard. It was about applying lessons, responding to adversity, and showing that the group is learning how to win - not just how to compete.
As St. Louis put it: “I think it’s part of our young team’s development to learn to play in these games… I thought tonight, we improved compared to the Boston game.
Nothing is guaranteed, obviously - we still gave up a second goal. But I thought our intentions were way better.
I think we managed the puck way better.”
That’s the kind of progress that matters in January. Because down the road, when the games really count, these are the third periods that will shape who the Canadiens become.