Canadiens’ Caufield, Suzuki off to hot starts with Olympic spots in sight

BROSSARD – Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield watched in disappointment as the 4 Nations Face-Off unfolded on their home ice.

The talented Montreal Canadiens forwards were left off their respective national team rosters — Suzuki for Canada and Caufield for the United States — when the show-stopping tournament hit the Bell Centre last February.

Early this NHL season, the two linemates are working in tandem to make sure the Canadian and American general managers don’t overlook them for an even bigger stage.

“We were both upset about the 4 Nations last year,” Suzuki said Thursday after practice at CN Sports Complex. “We talked about it, and definitely both of our goals coming in is to make the Olympics and hopefully we get the chance to play against each other.”

Two months out from the official Olympic roster announcements for February’s Milan-Cortina Games, Suzuki and Caufield are making a strong case.

Suzuki, the Canadiens’ captain, led the NHL with 14 assists heading into Thursday’s games. Caufield, meanwhile, was tied for the league lead in goals with nine in 11 games.

The Canadiens are also winning — boasting an 8-3-0 record to top the Atlantic Division standings, in no small part thanks to Caufield’s three overtime winners.

“Coming in, he was a one-timer guy, trying to find him on the power play,” said Suzuki, virtually glued to a line with Caufield since they teamed up in 2020-21. “Now he’s scoring in front of the net, getting in behind the net, all over the ice.

“Playing different positions on the power play, which he’s not used to. He’s learning different stuff through that and he’s still being able to lead the league in scoring, so it’s been impressive to watch him.”

And the goals are only one thing. Under head coach Martin St. Louis’s tutelage, the five-foot-eight, 175-pound Caufield has developed into a 200-foot player after entering the league as a pure scorer.

“I think he’s playing bigger,” St. Louis said. “I know he’s a small player, but he actually plays bigger now than his size. And that’s something we talked about a lot. The way Cole is going to win a battle is different than how (Juraj Slafkovsky) is going to win a battle.

“You can’t just come in there with chopsticks and try to win the battle, he can’t just pick the puck out, you’ve got to get involved. You need a pick and a shovel.”

Caufield said he’s most proud of his all-around game and downplayed his early-season heater as “not something to really go crazy about. We’re only 11 games in.”

As for catching the attention of U.S. GM Bill Guerin, the 24-year-old from Mosinee, Wisc., believes his performance on the ice will speak for itself.

“Just thinking about the next game,” Caufield said. “It’s fun being in this room with these guys, doing it together every day, and that’s pretty much all I can focus on, and just let my game talk.”

CREASE QUESTIONS

A lot is going right for the Canadiens, the NHL’s youngest team.

Suzuki, Caufield and Slafkovsky form an elite top line. Ivan Demidov is living up to his billing as a rookie-of-the-year favourite. Last year’s Calder Trophy winner, Lane Hutson, leads a solid blue line with Mike Matheson and Noah Dobson. And backup goalie Jakub Dobes keeps winning.

One area of concern — beyond injuries to Patrik Laine and Kaiden Guhle — comes from Sam Montembeault. The Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie has struggled in five starts this season, posting a 3.82 goals-against average and a .842 save percentage.

Dobes, who started Montreal’s last two games and improved to 6-0-0, has a 1.97 GAA and a .930 save percentage.

The goaltending situation has become a hot topic on Montreal sports radio, but St. Louis tried to calm the chatter Thursday by announcing his starter for this weekend’s clash against the Ottawa Senators two days in advance.

“Sam is going to play Saturday,” St. Louis said. “Is that good? We’re going to be able to stop talking about it?”

The coach then backed up his goalie, who played a key role in the Canadiens’ surprising playoff berth last season.

“Sam hasn’t forgotten how to play in net,” St. Louis said. “The way Dobes is playing, it buys a little bit of time for Sam to work on his things. But I’m not worried that Sam is going to stop pucks. He’s a great goalie, and he’s going to play on Saturday, and that gives him a very long sequence to work on things.”

Montembeault also expressed confidence in his own ability to bounce back.

“I know that I’ve had success in this league,” he said. “I know I’m capable of playing and that I belong in this league, so it’s just getting back to the basics, breathe and stay in the moment, and then just play and play my game.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 30, 2025.