Caufield: 'We can't wait to get going'

MONTREAL - The Canadiens were edged 4-3 in overtime by the Oilers on Wednesday at the Bell Centre to close the regular season.

Following the game, Nick Suzuki, Ben Chiarot, Cole Caufield, Jesse Ylönen and interim head coach Dominique Ducharme spoke with reporters via Zoom.
Here are a few highlights from their respective chats:
Suzuki on his chemistry with Caufield:
I thought we had a great game. We created a lot. The chemistry's going to keep getting better. He sees the ice really well. He's always ready to shoot, so I like playing with guys like that.

Suzuki on the Canadiens battling through a rough schedule since returning from the COVID break:
We're a resilient group. Even when guys got injured, we had guys step up in big ways. That's how good I think our team is. Given the depth that we have, guys can fill spots and play bigger roles, like you saw tonight. We gave them a really good game with not a lot of regulars in the lineup. We've got depth on the team. We learned what it takes to win in back-to-back games and we had a lot of good efforts from everybody down the stretch.

Chiarot on the upcoming playoff series against the Maple Leafs:
It's special to be a part of a series like this. Every time I think about it, it makes me more mad that there won't be people in the building because you can just think about how electric the building would be going back and forth for a series like this. It's going to be fun and one that I'll remember well after my career is done.

Chiarot on why he's confident heading into the postseason:
The guys in the room, the character that's in the room. I know that when we're going, when we're on our game, we're a tough team to beat. I know that everyone in there is judging off of last year and the way we played in the bubble, but I'm pretty confident moving forward we'll see guys bring their 'A' game for the playoffs.

Caufield on his experience during the regular season:
I'd say I feel pretty comfortable out there each game. You kind of learn a little bit more, you take what you can from video and learn as much as you can in the little time that you have. I'm focused and all the guys are ready for this next challenge. We can't wait to get going.

Caufield on playing alongside Suzuki:
There are a lot of guys that want to play with him. He's dynamic with the puck, he makes a lot of great plays and plays at a high pace. I think we complement each other pretty well. You kind of saw that tonight.

Ylönen on his NHL debut:
It was really, really exciting. I was a little bit nervous before the game, but it was fun. It was a good experience.

Ylönen on finding out about his recall:
Of course I was really excited. I started to focus on the game right away when I heard the news.

Ducharme on the end of the regular season:
There were a lot of ups and downs. We knew that the stretch after the COVID-19 pause would be difficult. We overcame it. It's over. We have time to recharge the batteries and prepare for Game 1.

Ducharme on Caufield's performance and whether he'll see playoff action:
We'll see. We'll look at our lineup and see what we're doing for Game 1. He did some good things. We also have to look at the health status of the other guys. We'll made a decision eventually.