With questions surfacing about his future with the team, Sam Montembeault did the smart thing by embracing the idea of a mental reset — and his performance on Tuesday night may have extended his stay as a member of the Montreal Canadiens.
Montembeault made his first NHL start since December 2 and delivered his strongest performance in weeks as the Canadiens earned a 3-2 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers. He stopped 28 of 30 shots and finished the night with a .933 save percentage and a 1.94 goals-against average in what was by far his best performance since a November win in Vegas.
It was a much-needed response for a goaltender who has struggled this season. Things got so bad that trade rumors swirled, and Montembeault accepted a conditioning stint with Laval, using the time to rebuild both his game and his confidence. When he got another call and asked what he was working on, the goalkeeper responded”I had good practices every day. We didn’t try to reinvent the wheel with Marco (Marciano). We looked at some little things and corrected some habits. We did a lot of tracking and working on my hands to try to get better and make quality savings.”
Head coach Martin St. Louis made it clear that the decision to go down and try to make improvements played a role in getting the start on Tuesday.
“In everything in life, you can either make excuses or make progress. You can’t do both,” St. Louis said. “We know what Monty chose: progress. He played two games in Laval to rebuild himself. He was very calm in the net.”
Peace was the right word. Even after Sam Reinhart scored late to make it 2-0, Montembeault didn’t come out of the closet – something that might have happened earlier in the season. Instead, he stayed calm, made key saves late and closed the door in overtime.
“I played a really good game, so I wanted to put that behind me,” Montembeault said. “Earlier this year I thought too much about goals. Tonight I didn’t.”
His teammates noticed. Cole Caufield called it a show of “mental toughness,” while Nick Suzuki said Montembeault “looked like himself” and praised how the pucks stuck to him and how poised he appeared.
After Suzuki and Caufield combined to get the job done in overtime, the Canadiens headed for their goaltender. The party said it all. Montembeault needed this win – and the Canadiens were just as happy to get it for him.
What next for Montembeault and the Canadiens?
As for what happens from here, a lot of that will depend on how Montembeault plays. The Canadiens needed better goaltending. They might give him the chance to give it. Should he not, and his consistency remains a concern, questions will linger.
According to somewhat questionable sourcesMarty St. Louis was in favor of keeping Montembault with the team, while Kent Hughes is trying to find a trade partner rather than rejecting him. There is still a belief that a trade remains the priority and that a more productive Montembeault will only increase the chances of him being moved. It increases the number of teams that might be interested.
Can he play so well that the story shifts?
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