18 goals in 22 games: Cole Caufield is the NHL’s leading scorer in 2026.

Mathis Therrien
18 goals in 22 games: Cole Caufield is the NHL’s leading scorer in 2026.
Credit: Capture d'écran Twitter

I know it's hard to ignore the Montreal Canadiens' final score last night and focus on the positives, but we have to do it.

Even though the Habs lost in a shootout, and Samuel Montembeault once again let his team down, there are positives to take away from this game. And the main positive is Cole Caufield.

Once again, the Habs' #13 was excellent and stood out, allowing the CH to earn at least one point in this difficult game.

Caufield scored two goals in the third period, including the one that gave his team a 5-4 lead.

With this performance, Caufield now has 18 goals in 22 games since the start of 2026, placing him comfortably at the top of the NHL rankings.

(Credit: NHL.com)

No other NHL player has scored more than Caufield since the start of the year, putting the Habs player in a fantastic position ahead of players such as Nikita Kucherov, Leon Draisaitl, and Wyatt Johnston.

In short, the Habs' sniper is on fire, and it's not just in 2026 that Caufield has started scoring, because over the entire season, his 37 goals in 61 games have earned him second place among NHL goal scorers on his own.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Only Nathan MacKinnon has more goals, and the five-goal gap between the two is not huge.

Caufield is truly among the NHL's elite, as can be seen by the names behind him in this ranking.

It is also important to note that 37 goals is Caufield's personal best, which he set last season in 82 games.

Caufield has now reached that mark in 21 fewer games.

Caufield still has 21 games left to improve his personal best and potentially reach the 50-goal mark.

His current pace would give him exactly 49.7 goals in 82 games, which really makes us believe he could reach the 50-goal mark.

That would be quite an achievement for Caufield.

In short, the Habs are really lucky to have their #13, one of the best scorers in the entire National Hockey League.


In Brief

– This is something to keep a close eye on.

Our condolences go out to his family and loved ones.

– Note.

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