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Montreal Canadiens

Interesting Stats Show Suzuki & Caufield Fueling Canadiens

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Montreal Canadiens

The Montreal Canadiens have come to life this season, and their success is intrinsically tied to the growing impact of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield.

Since the start of the season, the Canadiens’ dynamic duo have been dazzling with their rapid progression from promising youngsters to impactful NHLers.

Nick Suzuki, with the added weight of the team’s captaincy on his shoulders, has led by example in his short time as leader of the club; playing a vital role for the team in every possible situation.

Meanwhile, Cole Caufield has continued his rapid scoring pace from last season, all while becoming a far more complete and aggressive player on the ice.

You could also mention the incredible evolution of Kirby Dach since joining them on the top line, but Suzuki and Caufield are truly at the centre of the Canadiens’ surprising success this season.

 

NHL’s New Dynamic Duo

It’s time to start looking at this duo as one of the new top dynamic duos in the NHL.

Suzuki and Caufield have been the backbone of the team so far this season, scoring 20 of the club’s 47 goals through their first 15 games this season, good for 43% of the overall goal share.

Outside of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, there isn’t another duo in the NHL right now that has contributed a higher total of their team’s goal share than Suzuki & Caufield.

Suzuki is currently tied for 5th in the NHL for goal scoring, alongside names like Kirill Kaprizov and Mikko Rantanen. Meanwhile, Caufield is right behind, tied for 10th in the league.

MVP Performances

The two youngsters have quickly entrenched themselves as the team’s core players moving forward, and the very success of the team is now directly tied to their performances.

The Montreal Canadiens are 7-1-1 this season when Caufield and Suzuki both bury a goal in the same game.

What’s even more surprising when looking at that stat line is that neither Suzuki or Caufield have game-winning goals so far this season; but more than half of their goals have tied the game for the Canadiens; showing how clutch they have been in jumpstarting their team.

In Saturday’s game against the Penguins, both Suzuki and Caufield scored a goal to tie the game and bring the Canadiens back into a game they were slowly on the verge of letting slip away; eventually fueling the team to a strong finish and overtime victory.

 

A First In 27 Years?

It remains to be seen whether this duo can keep up their current pace.

Suzuki is currently trending for 55 goals and 104 points, while Caufield is on pace for 49 goals and 87 points.

It’s not expected to see them reach those totals, but even getting within earshot would not only be a massive win for them, but a breakthrough for the organization.

The Montreal Canadiens haven’t had two players break the 80-point threshold in the same season since the 1995-1996 season, where Pierre Turgeon and Vincent Damphousse put up 96 and 94 points respectively.

Could this be the year?