Cole Caufield secured an overtime victory for the Montreal Canadiens against the Utah Mammoth on Thursday night, etching his name into the NHL history books in the process.
A Historic Overtime Milestone
With his 15th career overtime goal, the American winger became the fastest player in league history to reach that milestone, needing only 384 games to accomplish the feat. Caufield surpassed Connor McDavid, who previously held the record after taking 559 games to reach 15 overtime tallies. Sebastian Aho now sits in third place after needing 645 games, followed by Alexander Ovechkin, who reached the mark in 653 games.
This achievement means Caufield reached the 15-goal mark in overtime 175 games faster than McDavid. While the record reflects his exceptional clutch scoring, it also comes with context regarding Montreal’s history of struggling to close out games in regulation over recent seasons, which provided Caufield with numerous opportunities in extra frames.
Year-by-Year Overtime Production
The Canadiens finished near the bottom of the league in regulation wins across multiple seasons, managing 17 in 2020-21, a league-low 16 in 2021-22, 21 in 2022-23, and 20 in 2023-24. Their regulation win totals improved to 30 in the 2024-25 season and 34 last year.
Caufield’s overtime scoring began in the 2020-21 season with two goals in 10 games, followed by two more in 2021-22. After scoring zero in 46 games during the 2022-23 campaign, he added three in 2023-24, one the following year, five last season, and two through his first 16 games of the current year.
His knack for clutch performances makes him a vital asset for Montreal, who selected him 15th overall in the 2019 draft. His scoring prowess continues to draw intense attention from opponents, as demonstrated by MacKenzie Weegar during Thursday night’s matchup.
