In his last four games Habs goalie has 3-1-0 record with a 0.93 GAA, a .966 save percentage and a shutout with Kyle Dubas watching closely.
Before each Canadiens game at the Bell Centre, I post on X the list of NHL scouts who are watching from the press box.
Seeing Dubas’s name listed with the scouts had some fans speculating about a possible trade between the Penguins and Canadiens. The Penguins are off to a disappointing start in Dubas’s second season as president of hockey operations and GM with a 7-10-4 record. Before getting the job in Pittsburgh, Dubas was GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs for five years. The rebuilding Canadiens improved their record to 7-10-2 with the win over the Oilers.
Dubas was also sitting with the scouts in the Bell Centre press box on Oct. 26 when the Canadiens beat the St. Louis Blues 5-2. The Canadiens’ Sam Montembeault and the Blues’ Jordan Binnington — two goalies with a good chance of making Team Canada — went head-to-head in that game. Montembeault stopped 29 of the 31 shots he faced, while Binnington allowed four goals on 25 shots with the Canadiens’ final goal being an empty-netter.
Montembeault was even better Monday night with Dubas watching from above, stopping all 30 shots he faced against the Oilers for his second shutout of the season, improving his record to 6-8-1 with a 2.85 goals-against average and a .906 save percentage. In his last four games, Montembeault has a 3-1-0 record with a 0.93 GAA and a .966 save percentage.
Montembeault wasn’t aware Dubas was in the press box until after Monday’s game when Chantal Machabée, the Canadiens’ vice-president of hockey communications, let him know.
“I could see the pucks clearly, but my eyes were not sharp enough to see all the way up to the press box,” Montembeault said with a grin after the game.
Binnington has struggled this season with a 5-8-1 record, a 3.19 GAA and an .887 save percentage. Skinner, who was the backup to Calvin Pickard against the Canadiens on Monday, has also struggled with a 6-5-2 record, a 3.18 GAA and a .881 save percentage. Skinner stopped 27 of the 29 shots he faced in the Oilers’ 5-2 win over the Senators Tuesday night in Ottawa.
Adin Hill, who backstopped the Vegas Golden Knights to the Stanley Cup in 2023 with an 11-4-0 record, a 2.17 GAA and a .932 save percentage in the playoffs, is another goalie candidate for Team Canada. He has an 8-3-1 record this season with a 3.16 GAA and a .885 save percentage.
Logan Thompson was also with the Golden Knights when they won the Stanley Cup in 2023, but was injured and couldn’t play in the playoffs. Now his name also has to be considered for Team Canada since he has an 8-0-1 record, a 2.63 GAA and a .913 save percentage this season with the Washington Capitals.
Is Montembeault paying attention to how the other Canadian goalies are doing?
“Not that much,” he said after Monday’s game. “I played against Binnington. Obviously, Skinner didn’t play tonight. I played against Charlie (Lindgren when the Canadiens lost 6-2 to the Capitals in Washington on Oct. 31). I’m just trying to focus on me and the way I play.”
Montembeault has been playing very well recently and Dubas must have liked what he saw Monday night. The fact Montembeault helped Canada win the IIHF World Championship in 2023 by posting a 1.42 GAA and a .939 save percentage in seven games also works in his favour.
“My parents made a lot of sacrifices,” Montembeault told me in an interview last season after signing his new contract. “Growing up we didn’t have the most money. … Every year I had different pads and gloves … they didn’t match. But my parents did a lot for me.
“In my family, I’m the only one who knows how to skate,” Montembeault added. “My dad was a really good baseball player. But they’ve always supported me in hockey.”
You can imagine his parents’ reaction if Montembeault makes Team Canada.