Latest news with #SamuelMontembeault
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadiens: The Grades Are In
It was a wild ride of a season for the Montreal Canadiens this past season and that was true for goaltending as well. What started as a Samuel Montembeault and Cayden Primeau partnership became a solo gig before Montembeault was partnered with rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes. Let's look at the Habs' goaltending this past season. Canadiens: The Grades Are In – Kent Hughes Canadiens: Yet More Reinforcements For The Rocket Canadiens Prospect Will Play For Team Austria Samuel Montembeault When Kent Hughes elected to trade Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devils towards the end of the 2023-24 season and after signing Montembeault to a three-year contract extension worth $9.45 M, the message was clear: he was now the number one. Advertisement The Becancour native had never played more than 41 games, but this year, he played in 62 games and, for the first time in his career, reached the 30-win plateau. He had a career year with a 31-24-7 record, a 2.80 goals-against average, and a .902 save percentage. It wasn't a perfect year, though, and there is plenty of room for improvement. For instance, he must learn to shut the door when the Canadiens have just scored a big goal. Nothing kills momentum like conceding a goal when you just scored one, which happened quite a few times this season. Furthermore, towards the end of the regular season, he was too often beaten by shots from far out that should have been stopped; perhaps, like the rest of the team, he was learning to deal with the nerves brought on by the magnitude of the moment. Still, he made significant progress this season, and without him, there would have been no playoffs. In an ideal world, he wouldn't have seen as much action. If all goes according to plan, the Canadiens should be able to share the workload more evenly next season. He gets a B for his performances in 2024-25. Cayden Primeau After showing positive signs during the 2023-24 season, Primeau had what could be appropriately categorized as a fall from grace. He was often in the net when the Canadiens suffered some of their more lopsided losses of the season. By the time he was sent down to the Laval Rocket after the Christmas break, his save percentage had fallen to just .836 while his GAA stood at 4.70, the worst amongst goaltenders who had played at least nine games. Advertisement Ultimately, he only played 11 games with the Canadiens, down from 23 the year before. In 2023-24, his GAA stood at 2.99 and his SP .910. He seemed to be losing the net behind him; his positioning and balance were wrong. With no safety net and not being the third goaltender this year, his performance came crashing down. For years now, we've been saying his development was affected by the lack of playing time in the Covid season, but the pandemic is over, and everyday activities have resumed. What's puzzling, however, is that once he was demoted to the AHL, he became an entirely different goaltender. In 26 games with the Rocket, he had a 21-2-2 record, a 1.96 GAA, and a .927 SP. At this stage, one must wonder if he has what it takes to play in the NHL. He was, after all, a seventh-round pick, and the way he was able to right the ship in the lower league is surprising. If it is an issue with handling pressure, that's far from ideal for a goaltender. Being the last line of defence does come with a considerable chunk of pressure, and that's in any NHL market. Advertisement His contract will expire at the end of the AHL playoffs, and Kent Hughes will undoubtedly have to ponder what to do with the restricted free agent. Let him go? Keep him in the AHL in a partnership with Jacob Fowler? His performance with the Canadiens would have earned him a failing grade, but his spectacular bounce back with the Rocket brings him up to a C-. Jakub Dobes His arrival after the Christmas break was a breath of fresh air, and his start was nothing short of extraordinary. He won his first five games, including a shutout win over the reigning Stanley Cup Champions, the Florida Panthers, and was playing fearlessly. Advertisement He's far from technically sound, and his positioning can be off at times, but he's a fighter in the net, and he'll do whatever he needs to reach that piece of vulcanized rubber. As a result, his saves often look spectacular and are crowd pleasers. His confidence and bravado in the net are interesting to see. He stands his ground and has an active stick when players try to disturb him. In 16 games, he had a 7-4-3 record, a 2.74 GAA, and a .909 SP. While he went through a dry spell after his five consecutive wins, he bounced back nicely before the end of the season and was ready to take over when Montembeault went down to injury in the playoffs. In three postseason games, he was 1-2-0 with a 2.91 GAA and a .881 SP. The lack of experience was apparent a few times, and his hesitation resulted in a couple of goals, but overall, given the circumstances, it would have been hard to ask for more from him. Advertisement For now, at least, it looks like the backup role will be his to lose at next camp unless, of course, Hughes has a secret plan we're not yet privy to. It's a small sample, but I give him a B minus for what he showed this season. Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
Edmonton Journal
03-05-2025
- Sport
- Edmonton Journal
Canadiens loan Cayden Primeau, Oliver Kapanen to Laval Rocket
Article content The Rocket and Monsters will meet in Game 3 of their playoff series Sunday at Place Bell in Laval (3 p.m., RDS). Primeau had a 21-2-2 record this season with the Rocket, along with a 1.96 GAA and a .927 save percentage, before getting called up by the Canadiens after Samuel Montembeault tore two muscles in his groin during Game 3 of a first-round playoff series against the Washington Capitals. The Canadiens were eliminated with a 4-1 loss to the Capitals in Game 5 Wednesday night in Washington. Primeau, 25, can become a restricted free agent on July 1. Kapanen had 15-20-35 totals in 36 games this season with Timra IK in the Swedish Hockey League before joining the Canadiens. In three playoff games against the Capitals, the 21-year-old had one assist. The Canadiens selected the 6-foot-2, 194-pound forward in the second round (64th overall) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Montreal Gazette
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Montreal Gazette
Canadiens hope to seize momentum in do-or-die Game 5 vs. Capitals
Montreal Canadiens By In his first playoff series as a head coach, and with his team facing elimination for the first time, Martin St. Louis said he won't have anything profound to say to his players Wednesday night. Instead, his message will be succinct: 'One word — momentum. You need to grab the momentum. Obviously it would come with a win,' St. Louis said after Tuesday morning's practice at the CN Sports Complex in Brossard. 'It starts with all the actions that come during the game that help you keep the momentum and steal it back when you lose it.' The Canadiens' predicament couldn't be any clearer heading into Wednesday's Game 5 (7 p.m., CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM) of their opening-round series against the Washington Capitals at Capital One Arena. Win or go home. With a bounce here or there, or another goal or two, the Canadiens could easily have been tied with the Capitals or even be leading 3-1, as St. Louis suggested on Monday. Instead, following Sunday's 5-2 loss at the Bell Centre, Montreal has dug itself a 3-1 hole, its margin of error razor thin. The status of numerous players remains uncertain heading into the game, although it's virtually certain the Canadiens will continue without goaltender Samuel Montembeault, who sustained a lower-body injury Friday and has been listed as day-to-day. Defenceman Alexandre Carrier also wasn't on the ice Tuesday following the devastating hit administered by Tom Wilson in the third period on Sunday. Also missing were defenceman David Savard and forwards Josh Anderson and Brendan Gallagher (maintenance days). But winger Patrik Laine, who has missed the last two games with an upper-body injury, practised on Tuesday. Should Carrier, as expected, miss the next game after likely suffering a concussion, he'll be replaced by Jayden Struble. No player will be recalled from AHL Laval, according to St. Louis. The Rocket is in Cleveland, preparing for the start of its best-of-five series Wednesday night. 'We're confident in (Struble) if he has to come in,' St. Louis said. 'He's a good player who has played some really good hockey for us this year. We'll see what happens. At this time of the season, you have to be ready for anything. ... You just have to go out there and try to get the job done. 'Winning in the playoffs comes at a steeper price,' he added. 'The physicality. There's got to be some kind of courage, probably a little more involved. Collective courage in the playoffs. You don't get to live that without going through it. That's what we're doing.' When defenceman Kaiden Guhle was playing junior in Prince Albert, his team had a 3-1 lead against Vancouver in the 2019 Western Hockey League final. While the Raiders won the title, they were stretched to overtime of the seventh game. 'We definitely felt a bit of tension when we lost the fifth game,' Guhle said. 'You're so close, but you're still far. It's a different feeling for sure. We have to win one game, come back to Montreal, win another game and all of a sudden you're at Game 7. 'I'd say the team that's up has more pressure,' he added. 'Especially if we go there and take one (Wednesday). The tension will probably be a little bit higher in that room. For us, we have nothing to lose right now. Play like it's your last game of the year and see what happens. Three to one is a tough lead to keep.' Six players — Gallagher, Anderson, Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Jake Evans and Joel Armia — remain from Canadiens' run to the 2021 Stanley Cup final. Montreal overcame a 3-1 deficit against Toronto in the opening round that year. 'We could have won every game (against Washington),' Guhle said. 'The past two games definitely have been our best of the series, looking at the full 60 minutes. It could be our last game of the season. Everybody knows that.' While forward Alex Newhook didn't join the Canadiens until a June 2023 trade, he won the Cup the previous season with Colorado. He knows as well as anyone how quickly momentum can switch in a game and series, and the emphasis is on Montreal to seize the opportunity. He said the Canadiens must play with desperation. 'It feels like our backs have been against the wall a lot of times during the season,' Newhook said. 'We've had to come back and win some pretty important games down the stretch. We have to bring the same mentality, draw back to how we approached those types of games with a little bit of extra added intensity. 'That's what it comes down to — winning one game on the road. We still believe we can win this series.'
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Tyler Tucker with a Goal vs. Winnipeg Jets
Canadiens: Tougher Kids To Skate With For the first time in four years, the Montreal Canadiens played some playoff hockey on Monday night when they took on the Eastern Conference champions, the Washington Capitals. It was also the first playoff game for coach Martin St-Louis as a bench boss and goaltender Samuel Montembeault, one of seven Canadiens making their post-season debut. 2:54 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
Yahoo
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Canadiens: The Battle Of The Backups?
Apr 14, 2025; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes (75) kneels on the ice in warm-up before the game against the Chicago Blackhawks at Bell Centre. Photo Credit: David Kirouac-Imagn Images Friday night's game was full of twists and turns at the Bell Centre; nine goals were scored, and four goaltenders were used, a rare feat. Emergency backup goaltender Patrick Chevrefils ended up on the Montreal Canadiens' bench, wondering if he would be called into action, but the goalie hemorrhage stopped after the starting netminders. Advertisement Canadiens: If Montembeault Isn't Good To Go Canadiens: Home Sweet Home On Saturday afternoon, Martin St-Louis said Samuel Montembeault was still being evaluated, and Spencer Carbery, the Washington Capitals coach, said he expected to get an update on Logan Thompson later in the day. It was no great surprise. Show me a coach who's an open book about their lineup or injuries during the NHL playoffs. However, judging by how Thompson exited the ice without putting any weight on his left leg on Friday, he's going to need to be Wolverine to heal in time, but that's not unheard of. We're talking about a hockey player here, not a footballer. As for Samuel Montembeault, he was seen gingerly going up some stairs after the game, and that's not a good sign either. Logic dictates that on Sunday night, Capitals backup Charlie Lindgren will be taking on the team that gave the undrafted free agent his first chance in the pro ranks at the end of his third season in the NCAA with St. Cloud State in 2015-16. Advertisement The 31-year-old has never faced the Canadiens in postseason action, but he has a 3-1-0 record against them in the regular season with a 2.51 goals-against average and a .899 save percentage. As for Jakub Dobes, it's not far-fetched to believe he'll be back in the net after being credited with the win on Friday night. That was the first time he had faced the Capitals, or any other team in the playoffs. He gave up one goal on eight shots and finished his night with a .875 SP. The young netminder also beat Washington once in the regular season when he backstopped the Habs to a 3-2 win in D.C. in early January. Up front, the Capitals will have to keep a close eye on the Canadiens' top line. Cole Caufield put up two points last night, Jurja Slafkovsky scored a big goal, and across three games, the former has a staggering 19 shots on goal while the latter has 14. Rookie wonder Lane Hutson has three points in three games about Ovi and co. As for the Habs, they'll have to know where Alex Ovechkin is at all times. The Capitals' captain has 14 points in just 10 games against the Canadiens, followed by Dylan Strome, who has five in three games. Advertisement Exceptionally, the game is set for 6:30 PM. Make sure not to tune in late; the intensity is ramping up quickly in this series, and who knows what could happen early. Canadiens stories, analysis, breaking news, and more! Tap the star to add us to your favorites on Google News, never to miss a story. Follow Karine on X @KarineHains Bluesky @ and Threads @karinehains. Bookmark The Hockey News Canadiens' page for all the news and happenings around the Canadiens.
