Caufield Says He’s “Here to Spark” the Montreal Canadiens

Cole Caufield will be seeing his first-ever NHL playoff action on Monday evening. His job, if you listen to his comments about finally getting a chance to contribute is: “I’m in here to spark the team and give us energy and help us win.” Considering he was quite productive in his short showing during this year’s regular season, there’s a pretty good chance he’ll be able to make good on that declaration.

He added, “I was put in here to help the team win and do the things that I can to increase our chances. I’m obviously excited. It’s going to be a pretty special night.” He noted after talking to the media that he plans to officially tell his parents after being done with his Zoom call but also noted he thinks they’ve already found out. Obviously, this is an exciting time for the young man.

This is not to say that Caufield will be the difference-maker in a win or loss for the Canadiens versus the Toronto Maple Leafs. That said, he’s bound to provide an offensive spark. He scored four goals in his first 10 regular-season games and the Canadiens seem to be in desperate need of a few goals.

Canadiens head coach Dominique Ducharme announced that Eric Staal is injured and cannot play. this means Tomas Tatar is staying in and Caufield’s will take Staal’s spot.

As for how the Toronto Maple Leafs will adjust, head coach Sheldon Keefe said, “It doesn’t change anything for us.”

What About Alex Romanov?

One of the other decisions that was deemed questionable by many insiders and fans of the Canadiens was the fact that the Habs had sat Jesperi Kotkaniemi and Alexander Romanov. Kotkaniemi has gotten in but Romanov has yet to. Eric Engels of Sportsnet wrote that both Romanov and Caufield hit the ice in Canadiens red jerseys Monday. “We’ll see what develops here when practice officially begins in just over 10 minutes.”

While it was confirmed Caufield will play, it’s not entirely clear when Romanov will see his first playoff game action.

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