BUFFALO – Cole Caufield scored 51 goals in the regular season, but the star sniper remains stuck on just one so far through eight playoff games.
“As a whole probably not where I want it to be,” the Montreal Canadiens winger said when asked about the state of his game. “Obviously I expect more out of myself and my teammates do too. So, just trying to get better every game and just trying to make a difference.”
Caufield has gone four straight games without a goal, which is his longest drought since mid-January. However, the 25-year-old did see signs of progress during Wednesday’s Game 1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
“I think I had a lot more space last night,” he said after taking part in Montreal’s optional practice. “I felt like we generated a lot more in the O-zone, had some longer shifts there and definitely something we can build off going forward.”
After a tight-checking series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Canadiens are anticipating a little more space to be available against the high-flying Sabres. Still, Caufield was limited to just two shots on Wednesday. He finished the night minus-one and appeared to be frustrated at times.
The Rocket Richard Trophy runner-up insists his confidence level is still in a good place.
“It’s still there,” Caufield said. “Obviously, I want to be better. I want to produce more, but you can’t lack confidence in this league [because] once you do, I think that’s when you really start to struggle. The confidence is there. Obviously, the positivity in this room is still going strong so there’s no worries here and just going to try to continue to work harder.”
Martin St. Louis is keeping the faith ahead of Game 2 on Friday.
“Just keep putting him out there,” the Canadiens coach said when asked how he’ll approach the slumping sniper. “Players are competitors. They’re competitive. They’re hungry. They want more. Just keep putting him out there.”
Thursday marked Caufield’s first scrum with reporters since last Friday when he met with the media ahead of Game 6 against the Lightning.
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Lane Hutson experienced a nightmare start to the second round. The defenceman fell in the neutral zone and turned over the puck during a shift early in the first period, which opened the door to a 2-on-1 rush and the game’s first goal by Josh Doan.
“I feel like everyone came ready to play except me, honestly,” the 22-year-old said when asked a general question about the team’s slow start. “S—ty bounce or whatever, but you gotta be able to make a better play there.”
LANE HUTSON LOSES THE PUCK AND THE SABRES MAKE HIM PAY IT'S 1-0 BUFFALO 😵💫🚨 pic.twitter.com/MSzGQUtYo6
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) May 6, 2026
Hutson finished the night with four shots, which matched the game high, while logging 26 minutes and 42 seconds.
“I feel like I generated a couple chances to hopefully kind of get it back or whatever,” he said. “It’s just a not-great feeling to start the game, but I feel like I responded good enough. But definitely owe it to these guys to be better for a full 60.”
Despite logging more minutes than any other player on Wednesday, Hutson was back on the ice for Thursday’s optional practice. The team is not planning to institute any load management for Hutson despite the heavy workload.
“I don’t want to get in Lane’s way,” St. Louis said. “I just let Lane be Lane. It’s rare that he’s not ready to play so I’m not going to stand in [the] way of his own preparation, how he builds his confidence. I feel the rink is a sanctuary for him. I was the same way. I wouldn’t want a coach to get in my way of what makes me feel good. So, I let him be.”
With the first-round series featuring four overtime games, Hutson is averaging 27 minutes and 18 seconds of ice time per game in the playoffs, which is up from 23 minutes and 46 seconds in the regular season.
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On Thursday, Sabres defenceman Rasmus Dahlin learned he was nominated for the Norris Trophy for the first time.
“It means a lot,” the 26-year-old Swede said. “Been grinding for a lot of years and finally the team has success and when the team is having success you’re usually having individual success too. It’s unreal. It’s cool.”
Dahlin overcame a lot during what he called a “crazy” season. He announced in September that his fiancée was recovering from an emergency heart transplant. Dahlin took a personal leave from the Sabres in November to be with her.
“It’s kind of funny how it works,” Dahlin said. “You grow, you get older and kind of understand that things outside hockey are more important than actually hockey. I think that made me more relaxed coming to the rink, doing the work in peace, if that makes sense, knowing hockey’s just a game. I had to understand that to take the next level.”
Dahlin produced a career high 74 points in 77 games while leading the Sabres to their first playoff appearance since 2011.
Colorado’s Cale Makar and Columbus’ Zach Werenski are the other nominees for the award given to the NHL’s top defenceman.
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Alex Lyon has posted a .950 save percentage in six games since taking over the Sabres crease from Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen in the first round.
“Right now he’s caught fire,” said head coach Lindy Ruff. “It’s been his turn. He’s really wrapped his arms around the opportunity.”
Lyon, 33, is playing in the second round of the playoffs for the first time in his career. It’s been an unlikely road to this point for a goalie who’s played on eight different teams, including three in the American Hockey League, over the last six seasons.
“Every team is different,” the Yale University product said. “Every organization is different and it presents a different set of challenges. So, really, as a guy who’s been with a bunch of different teams, I’m kind of like an amorphous blob to a degree where I can fit in in different situations and adapt to circumstances and that’s what I try to do and that’s where my value lies.”
