“He’ll be a difference-maker. People underrated him because he was picked up on waivers from Florida,” Alexandre Lapointe said at McLean’s Pub.
This season, the Montreal Canadiens will go as far as Samuel Montembeault takes them.
There’s lots of chatter about whether the Canadiens will be in the mix this year, meaning in the hunt late in the season for a playoff spot, and pundits and fans usually talk about how the success of the team rests on the shoulders of the core of young stars, notably captain Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield and Juraj Slafkovsky.
But I’ve been saying for some time now that the most important Hab, the one dude who’ll really make the difference, is Monty. It’s true that you no longer build your team around the goalie. That worked in the era of Patrick Roy and Martin Brodeur but not today. The CH built everything around Carey Price and well you know how that worked out.
But you still need a very good goalie to go anywhere, a fact underlined in the most recent playoffs when Connor Hellebuyck was atrocious and the main factor in the Winnipeg Jets’ loss in five games in the first round to the Colorado Avalanche.
So is Monty good enough to pull his team into the playoff conversation? Based on his astonishingly good performance on opening night Wednesday when he shut out the Toronto Maple Leafs, the answer would have to be a resounding yes. He was spectacular, keeping some of the most explosive forwards in the league off the scoresheet.
Maybe the most eye-catching moment for Monty was the glove save with a little mustard on it during the second period, stopping Leafs star Auston Matthews in his tracks.
There was also a pretty nifty save again on Matthews in the dying seconds of the game.
18 Just as impressive is the stat that it was the second-best performance in a shutout ever by a Montreal Canadiens goalie. The only Canadiens goalie who’s done better was none other than Jacques Plante, who made 52 saves in a 2-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in 1955.
Fans at McLean’s Pub Thursday just before the Habs-Bruins clash were generally very upbeat about Montembeault’s chances of success this season.
“I wasn’t surprised by Montembeault’s performance,” said Alexandre Lapointe, who said he’s happy as long as the Habs beat the Leafs. “He was at the World Championship two years ago and he was very good. Last year with the ménage à trois, it broke his confidence. He didn’t even play the opening game last year. This year the message is — ‘It’s your net.’ This year, he’ll be a difference-maker. People underrated him because he was picked up on waivers from Florida, but I think he has good potential.”
David Speller and Jeremy Frankfurt were at the bar deep in discussion about Habs goalies, past and present.
“Till Fowler’s ready, he’s our No. 1,” Frankfurt said.
Jacob Fowler, 19, was picked by the Habs in the third round, 69th overall, in the 2023 draft and has been getting rave reviews for his work between the pipes for Boston College.
“What can be said?” Speller asked rhetorically. “A 48-save shutout. I’d say Montembeault’s performance was pretty damn good. Make it to the big show at 27 and get a decent contract. I’m happy for him.”
They then started talking, like many this week, about the notion that Montembeault should at the very least be on the short list to play for Canada in the coming Four Nations tournament. They also talked of how Montreal’s big mistake was relying too heavily on Price and not paying attention to bigger issues, like the lack of an A-list or even a B+ first-line centre.
“He’s 27, that’s the same age Carey Price was when he won the Hart Trophy,” said Peter, just a little further down the bar. “For goalies, it takes longer to get to that next level. He’s definitely capable of being the No. 1 for us. And we have another guy coming Jacob Fowler who I think is eventually going to be the starter for this team. But for now I think Montembeault can absolutely take the reins and go with it.”
And if he does, he’ll be the first Québécois guy to hold down the job as the Canadiens’ No. 1 goaltender since José Théodore 20 years ago. Pretty cool that.