Caufield Scores 50th Goal in Canadiens' 2-1 Win Over Lightning

Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield scored his 50th goal of the season Thursday night, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach the milestone in 36 years as his team defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 at the Bell Centre.

Caufield beat Lightning goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy with a wrist shot from the slot at 6:29 of the second period, assisted by linemates Nick Suzuki and Juraj Slafkovsky. The goal gave Montreal a 1-0 lead and ignited the sellout crowd, which included Prime Minister Mark Carney attending a Liberal Party convention in the city. Caufield's father, Paul, watched from the stands and was seen wiping away tears as the public address announcer confirmed the historic tally. The 25-year-old winger from Stevens Point, Wisconsin, had endured a three-game scoreless drought after netting his 48th and 49th goals the previous week against the New York Rangers.

The victory improved Montreal's record to 47-22-10, moving the team two points ahead of Tampa Bay and two behind the Buffalo Sabres in a tight Atlantic Division race with three regular-season games remaining for the Canadiens and Lightning, and two for Buffalo. Two of the three teams are poised to...