Habs Puzzled Why Cole Caufield Isn't Producing: 'He Just Doesn’t Have The Bounces Right Now'

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In the playoffs, your best players need to be the best players on the ice. And so far, that hasn't been the case, particularly where Caufield is concerned.

A runner-up for the Rocket Richard Trophy, Caufield scored only 11 of his 51 goals on the power play in the regular season. He also didn't go more than two games without a point in the regular season.

But in the playoffs, the diminutive winger has been rendered invisible. He only has one goal in eight games. And he has now been held without a point in the past four games.

"A guy like that, he scores 50 goals in the regular season, obviously he just doesn’t have the bounces right now," said Kirby Dach, who leads the team with three even-strength goals. "But he’s a heck of a hockey player. The more he shoots, the more he’s going to give himself a chance to go in. We’re not worried about it at all. He’s a special player. We’re lucky to have him on the team."

Blame the bounces, if you want. Or the defensive match-ups. Or maybe the playoffs are just too physical for the 5-foot-8 and 175-pound winger to find open space. Either way, Caufield needs to find the back of the net if Montreal expects to advance past Buffalo.

"He’s been playing hard. I don’t think he’s too frustrated," said Suzuki. "Obviously, there’s moments in games where you get frustrated with yourself. I thought he’s done a good job of continuing to play. He’s a really good player. He’ll find his moment to score, for sure."

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It's not just the Canadiens who believe that Caufield is capable of breaking out.

As good of a game that the Sabres played on Wednesday, coach Lindy Ruff warned against the idea that Buffalo had figured out a way to silence Montreal's best shooters. After all, Caufield, Suzuki and Slafkovsky combined for nine shots. That's nine times they theoretically could have scored.

"I think we can be a lot better. That includes taking time and space away," said Ruff. "They’re a good team. They just beat a good team. That top line is — Slafkovsky is one helluva player. And then you’ve got a 50-goal scorer on that line at the same time, so maybe they will generate a little bit more."

They better. If not, this series could be over pretty quick.

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