Cole Caufield scores OT winner as Canadiens come back to beat Mammoth 5-4

Cole Caufield scored the winner 30 seconds into overtime as the Montreal Canadiens overcame Logan Cooley’s hat trick to beat the Utah Mammoth 5-4 in an action-packed affair Thursday night.

Captain Nick Suzuki had a goal and two assists in his return from a six-game absence for Montreal (10-3-3). Adam Engstrom added his first career goal, while Kirby Dach and Arber Xhekaj also scored.

Jakub Dobes made 16 saves two nights after the Canadiens made some unwanted history.

Montreal lost 5-4 in overtime to the Winnipeg Jets on Tuesday after blowing a 4-0 lead with 2:39 remaining in regulation, marking the latest four-goal comeback in NHL history.

Cooley scored his second hat trick of the season and added an assist while Nick Schmaltz had a goal and two helpers for Utah (10-6-1). Sebastian Cossa stopped 30 shots.

Dach tied the game 3-3 with a power-play goal 69 seconds into the third period, jamming in a loose puck in the crease.

The Mammoth regained the lead at 7:14 when Schmaltz scored on the power play, but Montreal evened things again when Engstrom beat Cossa with a wrist shot at 14:54.

After Tuesday’s collapse, Thursday’s start wasn’t much better for the Canadiens.

Cooley opened the scoring on Utah’s first shot at 1:42 of the first period, beating Engstrom to the outside before cruising through the crease and tucking a backhand around Dobes.

The speedy forward scored his second on the power play at 9:24 — albeit on a questionable tripping call against Josh Anderson — when he slipped behind defenceman Alexandre Carrier, took a heads-up stretch pass from Schmaltz and beat Dobes five-hole.

But Montreal answered. Suzuki finished a slick cross-ice feed from Juraj Slafkovsky at the side of the net at 15:25.

Xhekaj hammered a slap shot from the point past Cossa glove-side at 17:10 to tie the game, then dropped the gloves for a spirited fight with Liam O’Brien on the ensuing faceoff.

Cooley completed the hat trick 11:05 into the second period with another power-play goal following a series of Canadiens penalties and chants of “Ref you suck!”

Takeaways

Canadiens: According to the NHL, Suzuki has recorded a point in 77 per cent of his games dating back to last season, the league’s fourth-highest rate behind Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl and Nikita Kucherov.

Mammoth: Utah’s power play continued to thrive. With three goals on five chances, the Mammoth’s man advantage is now 23-for-60 this season, a 37.3 per cent rate.

Key moment

Engstrom jumped into the glass in celebration after scoring his first goal, in his 25th career game.

Key stat

In 228 career games, Cooley became the fastest active player to record five career hat tricks, besting Alex Ovechkin (230).

Up next

Canadiens: Visit the Toronto Maple Leafs on Saturday.

Mammoth: Visit the Ottawa Senators on Saturday.