Canadiens lean on young stars to step up, lead the way

MONTREAL — As is tradition during home openers across the National Hockey League, each individual player on the active roster is introduced with great fanfare to their home faithful.

In the Montreal Canadiens case, players exited from the locker room entrance and skated to centre ice for their moment in the spotlight on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre.

While every player received a warm welcome from the crowd, there were, naturally, some that received louder ovations than others. That group included Cole Caufield and rookie Ivan Demidov.

Some 2 1/2 hours later, those fans were still applauding Demidov and Caufield as they both led the Canadiens to a thrilling 5-4 overtime win over the Seattle Kraken.

“We owed this building a win there and it wasn’t pretty, but at the end of the day we got the job done,” said Caufield.

It was Caufield who scored the game-winning goal at 3:25 of overtime, his second goal of the night and his third in four games to start the season.

“(Caufield’s goals) are usually pretty nice, and in big moments,” said Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. “He had a nice one in the second there and scores a really big one to give us a win. You build for those moments for sure.”

“He’s dangerous in those situations,” said Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis. “He winds up quickly; his shots are precise. He is hungry between the circles and he wants the puck on his stick.”

Beyond the goals Caufield has become accustomed to scoring, however, St. Louis is appreciative of the 24-year-old American’s overall 200-foot game.

“What I love about Cole is that he’s able to evolve and adapt,” said St. Louis. “He’s a complete player right now. He’s not a big player, but he doesn’t play small.”

Caufield’s OT winner followed that of Demidov, who, with under three minutes to play in the final period and his team down a goal, moved from his forehand to his backhand to patiently outwait Kraken netminder Joey Daccord for the 4-4 equalizer.

“It’s just a feeling, reading the game,” said Demidov. “It wasn’t my plan on this one, but it was just instinct.”

“It was an amazing play,” added Suzuki. “To have that poise to go to the backhand and kind of wait everybody out … I’m sure he’s been doing that his whole life, so it’s nothing new for him. He loves a big moment. That was a huge goal to send us to overtime and put us in a good spot.”

The Canadiens entered the season with the youngest opening night roster in the NHL, with an average age of 25.8 years.

Nevertheless, Montreal is in a three-way tie with the Boston Bruins and two-time defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers atop the Atlantic Division standings thanks to their 3-1 record through four games.

The Canadiens are counting on a whole lot more heroics and individual efforts like those displayed by Caufield and Demidov through the team’s remaining 78 games as they look to qualify for the playoffs for a second straight season.

“You see lots of guys stepping up right now, which is great to see,” said Alex Newhook, who played in his 300th career NHL game against the Kraken. “Our young guys are playing really well to start the year, which is great.

“We’re made up of a lot of young guys, so we’re going to need everyone to play their part and do their job.”

TAKING CARE OF BUSINESS

Earlier Tuesday, the Canadiens offered five-year contract extensions to general manager Kent Hughes and hockey executive Jeff Gorton.

Gorton also saw his title promoted to President of Hockey Operations. Gorton and Hughes, who were each in the final year of their contracts, joined the organization in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Under their leadership the Canadiens qualified for the playoffs last season for the first time in four seasons.

“We haven’t won anything yet,” cautioned Canadiens owner, President and Chief Executive Officer Geoff Molson before the game. “Our team is going to be good for a very long time and to have them here maintaining and building the culture that we have is really important.”

HONOURING NO. 29

Before puck drop, the Canadiens paid tribute to Hall of Fame goaltender Ken Dryden, who died of cancer on Sept. 5 at the age of 78.

A tribute video was played that featured highlights from Dryden’s legendary eight-year playing career, all for the Canadiens. Montreal’s net was also lit up in his honour (with Dryden’s signature mask perched atop the netting), all under the watchful eye of many of his former teammates behind the Canadiens bench.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2025.

Canadiens lean on young stars to step up, lead the way | iNFOnews.ca
Montreal Canadiens’ Ivan Demidov (93) celebrates his goal with teammates against the Seattle Kraken during third period NHL hockey action in Montreal on Tuesday, Oct. 14, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christinne Muschi

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