For reasons known only to the Montreal Canadiens’ coaching staff, and perhaps the hockey gods, they simply cannot play with a lead. Taking on the conference-leading New York Rangers on Saturday night, they opened up a 3-0 lead, only to surrender their advantage between the second and third periods. The game would turn into somewhat of a thriller from there, culminating in a 4-3 shootout win for the Tricolore on home ice.
And it was yet another win that they owe almost entirely to their goaltender, Samuel Montembeault.
This save on Mika Zibanejad in the shootout was an all-time highlight. The “Forsberg” is a tough move to stop when executed as well as it was here, but Montembeault’s otherworldly puck tracking in this game allowed him to find it and get his stick in the way. The only way the Rangers could beat him in this game was through distance shots, either getting tips on those shots or allowing significant screens to block his view. Anything he could see, he was stopping.
Counting the win against Dallas last week, this is two straight starts where he has absolutely stolen a win. I wrote about his brilliance after that last steal, wondering if he could be the next answer in net for the Canadiens, and with him improving on that performance yet again, it doesn’t even seem like a question anymore. He’s the best goaltender the Habs have right now, and barring a quick rise from one of their prospects, the net should be his for some time.
The remaining players selected to the NHL All-Star game will be determined through the fan vote, and to no surprise there was a flood of tweets on Saturday in favour of Montembeault. You could argue that he is easily among the top four goaltenders in the Eastern Conference right now, and on Saturday night he looked like one of the best in the world, never mind his conference.
He deserves his first All-Star nod, and hopefully the online recognition he’s gaining from his recent exploits will get him his due.
Click the play button below to listen to your full Bottom Six Minutes, also available wherever you get your podcasts. We have a few days off, but will return this Wednesday when the Habs will take on the Philadelphia Flyers.
