Latest news with #Montembeault
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Stunning 3rd period comeback by Capitals among takeaways in crucial Game 4 win against Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens recorded only nine shots on goal in the first two periods of play Sunday, but were just 20 minutes from evening their best-of-7 first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals at two games apiece. Instead, a ferocious third period comeback by the Capitals put the upstart Canadiens on the brink of playoff elimination. Advertisement The Capitals scored four goals in the third, sending the raucous Bell Centre crowd to the exits early. Brandon Duhaime scored the equalizer at 6:39, then added the first of two empty netters at 17:21 to lead Washington to a 5-2 win in Game 4. With veteran Sam Montembeault unable to play because of a lower-body injury, Montreal turned to rookie goalie Jakub Dobes to make this crucial start. And the 23-year-old responded in his first career playoff start, stopping 16 of 17 shots through two periods as the Canadiens grabbed a 2-1 lead. Washington got one past him early in the second period at 1:25 for the game's first goal. Dobes failed to control an awkward shot from Anthony Beauvillier. The puck kicked off his pads, and Dylan Strome swooped in and scored. The Capitals had a chance to run away with the game soon after; Montreal took back-to-back penalties, leaving Washington with 43 seconds of a 5-ono3 advantage. The Capitals failed to extend the lead, and the Bell Centre erupted following the inspiring penalty kill. Advertisement Montreal rode the momentum – Juraj Slafkovsky scored on an incredible assist by rookie Ivan Demidov at 10:33 during their own power play. The Canadiens scored again on the power play before the period ended, a missile of a slap shot from Cole Caufield at 18:32. The Capitals tied it on a goal similar to their first. A scrum in front of Dobes resulted in the puck somehow bouncing behind him at 6:39 in the third period. Tom Wilson helped set the goal with a vicious hit on Alexandre Carrier. Andrew Mangiapane gave Washington the lead at 16:23, inching the Capitals to the verge of a comfortable 3-1 series lead, then two empty net goals soon after put the finishing touches on Washington's Game 4 win. Advertisement NHL Games Today: 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs Schedule, Dates, Times, and Results 3 takeaways from Capitals' 5-2 win in Game 4 against Canadiens Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images 1. Thompson in, Montembeault out Each starting goalie left Game 3 early due to injury Friday night; Montembeault exited in the second period, then Washington's Logan Thompson was helped off the ice in the third period during Montreal's 6-3 win. There was much speculation that neither would be able to play Sunday in the crucial Game 4. However, only Montembeault missed it. He watched from the press box, with Dobes starting and Cayden Primeau dressing as the backup. Advertisement Thompson led the Capitals on to the ice and played the entire game. Charlie Lindgren, who finished off Game 3, was back on the bench. Dobes stole the show for much of Sunday, making several highlight-reel saves, including a smooth glove save on a Capitals power play. The Capitals defense did their job in front of their banged-up goalie, who only faced 18 shots. He saved 16 of them, including all nine in the third period, and the Capitals are now one win from reaching the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 2018, when they won the Stanley Cup. Related: NHL playoff predictions: Picks for every 1st-round series, 2025 Stanley Cup champion 2. Dominant special teams gave Canadiens chance Though Washington ultimately walked away with a 5-2 win, the Capitals were outclassed on special teams. The Canadiens scored both of their goals on the power play, converting on half of their man-up chances. They were even better on the penalty kill; Montreal held Washington scoreless on five power-play chances, including that two-man advantage. Advertisement Just as important, Montreal used its PK success to sway momentum in its favor on multiple occasions. The Canadiens scored their first goal after their massive kill of that 5-on-3, igniting the home crowd. Montreal got their second goal the same way; Alexander Ovechkin committed an interference penalty in the waning seconds of a Washington power play. Thirty seconds later, Caufield netted the go-ahead goal. Also Read:: Jake Sanderson's OT heroics among takeaways from Senators' 4-3 Game 4 win against Maple Leafs 3. Third-period comeback gives Washington control of series After Montreal's electric final 10 minutes of the second period, it looked as if the Canadiens would hold serve on home ice and knot the series at two. The pressure was on the visitors, and Washington came through in the final frame. Advertisement The penalty-kill unit for Washington stepped up when it mattered most, keeping Montreal off the board during a power play early in the third period. Five minutes later at 6:39, Duhaime tied the score at two apiece. Mangiapane then broke some hearts by giving the Capitals the lead. The Capitals dominated the regular season en-route to finishing with the best record in the Eastern Conference, but the Canadiens undoubtedly had them on the ropes Sunday. A loss would have really put the Capitals in danger, turning their series against the second wild card into a best-of-three. Instead, they're heading home with a commanding 3-1 series lead, where they are 28-9-6 including the playoffs at Capital One Arena this season. Related Headlines
Calgary Herald
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Calgary Herald
Canadiens rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes well prepared for playoff pressure
Article content Article content The 23-year-old Czech native made his NHL debut Dec. 28 at Florida and shut out the defending Stanley Cup champions before winning his next four starts, quickly becoming a fan favourite. Article content And when Dobes was called upon Friday night to make his playoff debut against the Washington Capitals — not as the starter but in relief of the injured Samuel Montembeault — he again handled the situation with his usual aplomb. Dobes faced eight shots in slightly more than 28 minutes, allowing only an Alex Ovechkin goal early in the third period. Article content Article content Montreal defeated Washington 6-3 in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series, narrowing its deficit to 2-1 heading into the fourth game Sunday night at the Bell Centre (6:30 p.m. CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM). Article content Article content Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis had no update on Montembeault's condition — he suffered an injury to his right leg or groin — Saturday, saying he was still being evaluated. The coach couldn't say whether Montembeault has been ruled out of Sunday's game and, as of mid-afternoon, Cayden Primeau hadn't been recalled from AHL Laval. Article content While the Canadiens didn't practise on Saturday, Dobes was understandably emotional following Friday's game. Article content 'You guys can't imagine how a person feels,' he said at the time. 'I was afraid. I was excited. I was emotional. I was crying at the end. I was a mess.' Article content Dobes became the third goalie in Canadiens history to earn a playoff victory in a relief appearance, following Rogie Vachon (Game 4 of the 1969 quarterfinal) and Charlie Hodge (Game 1 of the 1955 semifinal). For Dobes and Hodge, it also was their playoff debuts. Article content Dobes also became just the fifth active netminder to win his first career playoff game in relief. He became just the third Montreal rookie goalie in the past 20 years to earn a win in the post-season, joining Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski. Article content It's one thing for a goalie to know he's starting, another to enter with little time to prepare. Article content 'I saw that (Montembeault) was limping on his right leg,' Dobes explained. 'I looked back, talked to our medical trainer. He told me to get ready. I went inside and started doing something to get my adrenalin going. That was pretty much it.
Ottawa Citizen
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Ottawa Citizen
Canadiens rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes well prepared for playoff pressure
Article content Article content The 23-year-old Czech native made his NHL debut Dec. 28 at Florida and shut out the defending Stanley Cup champions before winning his next four starts, quickly becoming a fan favourite. Article content And when Dobes was called upon Friday night to make his playoff debut against the Washington Capitals — not as the starter but in relief of the injured Samuel Montembeault — he again handled the situation with his usual aplomb. Dobes faced eight shots in slightly more than 28 minutes, allowing only an Alex Ovechkin goal early in the third period. Article content Article content Montreal defeated Washington 6-3 in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series, narrowing its deficit to 2-1 heading into the fourth game Sunday night at the Bell Centre (6:30 p.m. CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM). Article content Article content Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis had no update on Montembeault's condition — he suffered an injury to his right leg or groin — Saturday, saying he was still being evaluated. The coach couldn't say whether Montembeault has been ruled out of Sunday's game and, as of mid-afternoon, Cayden Primeau hadn't been recalled from AHL Laval. Article content While the Canadiens didn't practise on Saturday, Dobes was understandably emotional following Friday's game. Article content 'You guys can't imagine how a person feels,' he said at the time. 'I was afraid. I was excited. I was emotional. I was crying at the end. I was a mess.' Article content Article content Dobes became the third goalie in Canadiens history to earn a playoff victory in a relief appearance, following Rogie Vachon (Game 4 of the 1969 quarterfinal) and Charlie Hodge (Game 1 of the 1955 semifinal). For Dobes and Hodge, it also was their playoff debuts. Article content Dobes also became just the fifth active netminder to win his first career playoff game in relief. He became just the third Montreal rookie goalie in the past 20 years to earn a win in the post-season, joining Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski. Article content 'I saw that (Montembeault) was limping on his right leg,' Dobes explained. 'I looked back, talked to our medical trainer. He told me to get ready. I went inside and started doing something to get my adrenalin going. That was pretty much it.
Vancouver Sun
26-04-2025
- Sport
- Vancouver Sun
Canadiens rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes well prepared for playoff pressure
Article content No moment, it seems, ever has been too big for Canadiens rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes. Article content Article content The 23-year-old Czech native made his NHL debut Dec. 28 at Florida and shut out the defending Stanley Cup champions before winning his next four starts, quickly becoming a fan favourite. Article content And when Dobes was called upon Friday night to make his playoff debut against the Washington Capitals — not as the starter but in relief of the injured Samuel Montembeault — he again handled the situation with his usual aplomb. Dobes faced eight shots in slightly more than 28 minutes, allowing only an Alex Ovechkin goal early in the third period. Article content Article content Montreal defeated Washington 6-3 in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series, narrowing its deficit to 2-1 heading into the fourth game Sunday night at the Bell Centre (6:30 p.m. CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM). Article content Article content Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis had no update on Montembeault's condition — he suffered an injury to his right leg or groin — Saturday, saying he was still being evaluated. The coach couldn't say whether Montembeault has been ruled out of Sunday's game and, as of mid-afternoon, Cayden Primeau hadn't been recalled from AHL Laval. Article content While the Canadiens didn't practise on Saturday, Dobes was understandably emotional following Friday's game. 'You guys can't imagine how a person feels,' he said at the time. 'I was afraid. I was excited. I was emotional. I was crying at the end. I was a mess.' Article content Article content Dobes became the third goalie in Canadiens history to earn a playoff victory in a relief appearance, following Rogie Vachon (Game 4 of the 1969 quarterfinal) and Charlie Hodge (Game 1 of the 1955 semifinal). For Dobes and Hodge, it also was their playoff debuts. Article content Dobes also became just the fifth active netminder to win his first career playoff game in relief. He became just the third Montreal rookie goalie in the past 20 years to earn a win in the post-season, joining Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski. Article content 'I saw that (Montembeault) was limping on his right leg,' Dobes explained. 'I looked back, talked to our medical trainer. He told me to get ready. I went inside and started doing something to get my adrenalin going. That was pretty much it.
New York Times
26-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
As Capitals and Canadiens lose their starting goalies, chaos enters the chat
MONTREAL — The arc of a Stanley Cup playoff series is long, and maintaining perspective through dips and swerves and off-road moments is crucial. That applies to all the stakeholders, really. Coaches, players, fans, mascots, dorks in the press box — take your pick. And thus, there were moments on Friday night, in the aftermath of the Montreal Canadiens' 6-3 win over the Washington Capitals, when that concept felt like a shifting target. There were moments, plainly, when it felt like too much stuff had happened. Playoff hockey had returned to one of the cathedrals of the sport. An official and a coach almost got absorbed into a quasi-line brawl. The team that won Games 1 and 2 crashed out, throwing the power dynamics of the series as we knew them into flux. Advertisement All of that is worth discussing. All of that will carry some sort of consequence. None of it, though, is more important than one simple fact: both teams lost their starting goaltenders. That — more than Tom Wilson's instant induction into the reaction .GIF hall of fame, even more than Lane Hutson's true arrival as a playoff performer — makes this series chaotic. It makes it unknowable. It could make it remarkable. We'll know at least a bit more about the respective situations of Montreal's Sam Montembeault and Washington's Logan Thompson on Saturday. As it stands, here's what we've got: At the first TV timeout of the second period, Montembeault went to the bench and appeared to say something to the Canadiens' training staff. At the next TV timeout, after Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki had scored on the power play to give Montreal a 2-1 lead and Washington's Jakob Chychrun replied to tie it, Montembeault went to the bench, whispered something to backup Jakub Dobeš as he walked by him and headed to the dressing room. That was it for the Canadiens' starting goaltender. Asked postgame about Montembeault, Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis deflected. 'I don't have time to deal with that,' was the French-to-English translation. It's tough to overstate Montembeault's importance to the Canadiens. It's certainly more than his .902 save percentage — good but not great — suggests. In the regular season, he saved nearly 30 goals above expected. The goalies with more were Connor Hellebuyck, a runaway Vezina winner and the consensus pick as the best goalie on the planet; Anthony Stolarz, who just had the best goaltending season by a Maple Leaf since the 1960s; and Igor Shesterkin, the Rangers' $92 million workhorse who beat Montembeault by percentage points. That is the entire list. Montreal's 0-2 start to the series had exactly nothing to do with him. If he'd been a little less outstanding during the regular season, they wouldn't be here at all. Now, he might be turning things over to Dobeš, who was solid in his first 16 NHL games (.908 save percentage, 8.0 GSAx) but isn't much more than a mystery box. Advertisement (He also might be a great quote. 'You guys cannot imagine how a person feels,' the 23-year-old told reporters after the game. 'I was afraid, I was excited, I was emotional. I was crying at the end. I was a mess.' Feel better, Montreal fans. Your new goalie seems like a sweetheart.) The optics on Thompson's injury are much, much worse. With 6:37 remaining in the game, as Canadiens winger Juraj Slafkovský scored to give Montreal a 5-3 lead, Capitals center Dylan Strome, who was in an all-out sprint trying to catch Slafkovský, steamrolled Thompson in the crease. His stick hit Thompson in the neck, both players hit the ice and Thompson broke Strome's fall, his leg appearing to bend awkwardly in the process. He stayed down for several seconds and needed help making it off the ice; he did not seem to be putting any weight on his left leg. Logan Thompson leaves the game in pain following the Canadiens fifth goal of the night — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 26, 2025 'It's a crappy, crappy play,' defenseman John Carlson said. Indeed. Capitals coach Spencer Carbery didn't have a postgame update on Thompson, either. Whenever it comes, it's hard to imagine it being positive. If Montembeault's injury is consequential to the Canadiens, Thompson's is consequential to the league at large; he'd spent the first two games of the series — his first back in the lineup after missing Washington's last seven games with an upper-body injury — reminding us just what the Capitals are capable of when they're getting elite goaltending. When he was at his best, they locked down the Eastern Conference's top seed. As his play dipped, theirs did, too. And when he was out of the lineup, and the Caps got abysmal goaltending in his stead, people started asking questions. His backup, Charlie Lindgren, deserves the equity he has with his teammates. For all intents and purposes, he dragged them to the playoffs last year. However, in his final 14 games this spring, many of which came with Thompson on the shelf, he put up an .884 save percentage and allowed nearly two goals above expected. Neither of those is going to work. Advertisement If it were only Montembeault who left Friday's game with a limp, you could've rubber-stamped Washington into the second round. If it were only Thompson, a potential Game 7 would loom off in the distance. Instead, both are gone — for a while, perhaps. Their teams are waiting to see what their absences will mean, and the rest of us are, too. (Photo of Logan Thompson being helped off the ice in Game 3: Minas Panagiotakis / Getty Images)
