The Canadiens shot themselves in the foot a few times, but they still came away with the two points at stake on Thursday night at the Bell Centre. Cole Caufield scored 30 seconds into overtime, and the Montreal Canadiens defeated the Utah Mammoth 5-4. Caufield beat goaltender Sebastian Cossa with a precise shot to the glove side. The Canadiens thus bounced back from a historic collapse against the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday. In that game, they had squandered a four-goal lead in the final 2:39 of the third period and lost 5-4 in overtime. Martin St-Louis’s team didn’t make things easy for themselves on Thursday, allowing the Mammoth to score the first two goals. The Utah team was also 3-for-5 on the power play. Nick Suzuki’s return to the lineup, however, injected new energy into the team. Suzuki recorded a goal and two assists, while Kirby Dach had a goal and an assist. Arber Xhekaj and Adam Engström also found the back of the net for the Canadiens (10-3-3). Jakub Dobes made 16 saves. Logan Cooley had three goals and an assist, while Nick Schmaltz tallied a goal and two assists for the Mammoth (10-6-1). Cossa stopped 30 shots. Suzuki missed his first six NHL games due to an upper-body injury. He had played in 546 consecutive regular-season games since the start of his career in the Bettman league. Suzuki’s return, coupled with that of Dach—who had missed the Habs’ last two games due to a virus—forced coach Martin St-Louis to leave forwards Florian Xhekaj and Owen Beck out of the lineup against the Mammoth. The Canadiens will play their next game on Saturday, when they visit the Toronto Maple Leafs. Special teams in action The game got off to a terrible start for the Canadiens. Cooley beat Engström and then Dobes to open the scoring just 1:42 into the game. Lane Hutson found himself on a breakaway moments later, but the Canadiens defenseman missed the net. Cooley extended the lead at 9:24 on a power play. Schmaltz joined him behind the Canadiens’ players, and he found himself alone in front of Dobes, whom he beat with a shot between the pads. The Canadiens have never trailed after 20 minutes of play this season and managed to extend that streak. Juraj Slafkovsky found Suzuki—left unmarked by the Mammoth defensemen at the mouth of the net—and the Habs’ captain scored at 15:25. Arber Xhekaj tied the game at 17:10 with a powerful one-timer to Cossa’s glove side. The second period was even more challenging for the Canadiens, who at times struggled to organize their clear-out plays. They also shot themselves in the foot with undisciplined play, although some of the referees’ calls drew the ire of the fans. Cooley completed his hat trick at 11:05 during another Mammoth power play. Xhekaj stopped Schmaltz’s charge toward Dobes’ net, but this left Cooley alone at the crease, and the American forward fired the puck into the open net. The Canadiens threatened the visitors’ net on a few occasions, but Cossa made some great saves. In particular, he denied Kirby Dach on a point-blank shot and Slafkovsky during a Habs power play. Dach tied the game on a power play 69 seconds into the third period. A pass from Suzuki in front of the net deflected off an opponent, and Dach pushed the loose puck past the goal line. However, penalties once again hurt the Canadiens. Slafkovsky was sent to the penalty box for high-sticking, and then Cooley set up Schmaltz at 7:14. The Canadiens tied the game again with 5:06 remaining. Engström scored his first NHL goal with a solid shot from the center of the slot. Caufield quickly sealed the win in overtime. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on Nov. 5, 2026.
