Three Wins Later, Sam Montembeault Is Back in the Conversation
Three weeks ago, Sam Montembeault looked like a goalie searching for his game in the dark. His numbers were ugly, his timing was off, and everything felt rushed. Pucks were arriving before he was set. Rebounds were landing in the wrong places. When that happens to a goalie, confidence drains fast. And in Montreal, there’s nowhere to hide when it does.
So, Montembeault took a reset, and it looks as if it made a difference.
Last Night, Montembeault Put Up His Third Straight Win
Fast forward to last night, and Montembeault just put up his third straight win. He stopped 25 shots in a 6–2 win over Florida. More importantly, over those three games, he’s allowed just seven goals, which is consistent with a .917 save percentage. That’s a goalie finding his feet again.
What’s different now isn’t just the results — it’s the feel. In this Florida game, Montembeault didn’t look busy. That’s usually a good sign. The Canadiens played one of their more complete games of the season, but when breakdowns did happen, he was already there. Set early. Square. No panic. No extra movement. Just stop the puck and carry on.
That’s the version of Montembeault Montreal knows.
December’s Setback Was a Timing Issue for Montembeault
Back in December, when things slid, it wasn’t about effort or desire. It was timing. A half-second late here, a bad bounce there, and suddenly the crease feels smaller than it used to. The illness, the benching, the conditioning stint in Laval — all of it added up to one thing: a pause.
Sometimes, that pause is exactly what a goalie needs
Montembeault isn’t reinventing himself. He’s simplifying. He’s trusting his structure again. The game looks slower to him now, and when a goalie says the game feels slow, that usually means he’s back in control.
This doesn’t erase the earlier struggles. It doesn’t settle the long-term picture in Montreal’s crease either. Fowler is still pushing. Dobes still absorbs minutes. That part hasn’t changed.
But what has changed is that Montembeault is back in the conversation.
Montembeault Is a Goalie Trying to Earn Starts and Carry His Canadiens
At 29, he’s neither a prospect waiting his turn nor a veteran leaning on reputation. He’s a working goalie trying to earn starts. Right now, he’s doing precisely that.
Three straight wins won’t crown anyone. But they do reopen doors.
And in a season where Montreal is still trying to figure out who it can trust when games tighten up, Sam Montembeault is starting to look like someone who remembered how to trust himself again.