Montreal Canadiens forward Cole Caufield showed off some skillful hand-eye coordination, batting a puck out of mid-air for a Juraj Slafkovsky goal.
New Jersey goaltender Nico Daws moved the puck behind his net, where it was played by Dawson Mercer. Caufield blocked the clearing attempt, deflecting the puck into the air. He batted it into the slot, where Slafkovsky fired it past Daws to give the Habs a 1-0 lead.
Caufield’s move was impressive — and legal. Players are permitted to play the puck with a high stick, provided it is below shoulder height.
From Rule 80:
Batting the puck above the normal height of the shoulders with a stick is prohibited. When a puck is struck with a high stick and subsequently comes into the possession and control of a player from the offending team (including the player who made contact with the puck), either directly or deflected off any player or official, there shall be a whistle.
While it was close, Caufield’s stick – with the blade pointed down – made contact with the puck just below shoulder height.
The Montreal Canadiens went on to defeat the New Jersey Devils 3-2. Officials for the game were Kelly Sutherland (#11) and Carter Sandlak (#29) with linesmen Libor Suchanek (#60) and Andrew Smith (#51).
