Samuel Montembeault was excellent in the Canadiens’ victory in Arizona on Monday, but more importantly, he snapped a three-game losing streak. It’s time to reward him.
Well, playing a second game in a row tonight in Denver against the Avalanche might not exactly be what you would call a Christmas present, but Montembeault is there more often than not. And since Martin St-Louis likes to be honest, he should consider it more.
Sending Montembeault in goal two or three games in a row does not mean he will automatically be number one, because St-Louis have been very clear about this. Number one of him is Jake Allen. We get it and I have no problem with that.
If it were Carey Price I’d say the opposite, but a goalkeeper like Allen spends two or three games on the bench, there’s no scandal.
To date, Montembeault has only stalled two starts. The first time in October, it was because Mrs. Allen was giving birth. The second one. It was the end of November, after the worst thaw of Allen’s career, that of 7-2 against the Sabres.
Montembeault followed that up with 3-1 and 3-2 victories over the Blue Jackets and Panthers.
St. Louis would give him a third straight start and no one would complain. To everyone’s surprise, he was back with Allen for two three-game series.
It’s not an easy situation for Montembeault and he showed it in that 7-6 loss to Vancouver, but he recovered well and what he did in Arizona matters. He needed a performance like that to avoid a fourth setback.
Without necessarily tearing my shirt off on the matter, I think the Bécancour goalkeeper now deserves to play more.
nice street game
Montembeault did what a good Arizona goaltender should do, maintain strength in the first period and keep his team in the game. He definitely avoided a fourth consecutive defeat, but overall the Canadian played a good away game.
When I said last week that we needed goalkeepers, I thought a lot about Montembeault. Hat !
I was also wondering who would get up, because one thing has been worrying me for a long time. I feel that losing doesn’t hurt enough, and it’s times like these that you need experienced leaders, something Montreal lacks.
No more Shea Weber or Carey Price. I so badly wanted Corey Perry to stay in Montreal. This type of player is essential for the proper development of a young team.
Richard, a good reminder
Speaking of awards, Anthony Richard fully deserved to be called back by Laval Rocket, given his excellent season. He’s a good reminder, even if playing alongside Joel Armia and Jake Evans isn’t ideal for filling out the scoresheet, but that’s the St. Louis approach. He’s been there himself and he likes a player to show him that he deserves to play with the best.
The “six” attack.
One decision that caused a stir last week in Ottawa was when Martin St-Louis sent up six late-game forwards to tie the game. He’s not the first to do this, but I’ve never been a huge fan of this tactic. Yes, you increase your chances of scoring a bit, but you take more risks and above all it doesn’t help build the confidence of your young defenders. I take the place of the six defenders on the bench, it shouldn’t be very encouraging.
– Interview with Gilles Moffet
Three fillets
world Cup
I’m not a huge soccer fan, but I loved the duel between France and Argentina in the grand final of the World Cup. What a show and what an incredible comeback from the French! A 4-3 football match will help sell the sport. I think we’ve seen as many scoring chances as in a New Jersey Devils game. One thing is certain, the two big stars, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé, lived up to their reputation. Too bad for our French cousins, but congratulations to the Argentines!
Ovi versus Crosby in 2009
Messi and Mbappé, reminded me of Game 2 of our series with the Washington Capitals against the Pittsburgh Penguins on May 4, 2009. It was sold like Sidney Crosby’s showdown, Alex Oveckin. Everyone scored a hat-trick and we won 4-3. The only other goalscorer was David Steckel. And what about Ovechkin’s last hat-trick on Wednesday in Chicago? It takes a whole sense of showmanship to score his 798, 799 and 800 goals in the same game.
Anderson amazes me
File photo, Martin Chevalier
I am amazed by the shape of Craig Anderson despite being 41 years old. He concedes one goal less per game than his Sabers colleagues Eric Comrie and Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen and that tells me a lot. I remember the first time I faced him (February 1, 2004) in Montreal. He had a terrible record (1-11-0) and I didn’t expect much, but I thought he was good. He has never been the most consistent, but when he has confidence he becomes unbeatable. He can steal games and series by himself.
