Canadiens answer Darren Raddysh taunt instantly as Juraj Slafkovsky delivers late dagger

This was not just a nice late goal. It felt like a pressure test for a young Montreal Canadiens core that now looks ready for playoff hockey.

Raddysh tied it with 1:51 left, then barked at the Bell Centre crowd.

Forty-seven seconds later, the building got the last word.

That swing matters because good teams do not just score. They answer emotion with structure.

Nick Suzuki read J.J. Moser's miss behind the net, jumped it fast, and fed Slafkovsky into soft ice. That is line-driving detail, not luck.

You can see the exact turn in the mood when Montreal stops reacting and starts hunting the next play.

Caufield's 50th goal changed the night, but Slafkovsky's finish changed the meaning of it. One was history, the other was authority.

Fans were right to feel that jolt, because this looked like a team growing teeth.

Slafkovsky is up to 30 goals, Caufield has 50, and Suzuki has 98 points. Montreal is 47-22-10 and jumped two points ahead of Tampa Bay for second in the Atlantic.

The bigger read sits under the surface. Slafkovsky has become a pace-and-power winger who can win inside space, while still fitting the Canadiens' top skill routes and first man-advantage unit.

That is why the late winner landed so hard. Raddysh gave the crowd a villain, and Slafkovsky gave Montreal the sharper answer.

The next milestone is simple. If this group can turn chaos into execution in April, nobody will want this matchup in a seven-game series.

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