Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Loses fourth straight
Rotowire
Montembeault allowed four goals on 26 shots in Thursday's 5-3 loss to the Devils.
Montembeault didn't get much help from the defense -- again -- and suffered his fourth straight loss. Breakdowns in front of him contributed to the first three New Jersey goals. His record dropped to 3-6-1 with a 3.46 goals-against average and .892 save percentage. Montreal carries a league-worst 4.07 goals allowed per game and is next to last with a minus-19 goal differential heading into Saturday's contest in Toronto, the second stop on a four-game road trip.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Slated starter for Thursday
Rotowire
Montembeault is set to start in Thursday's road game against New Jersey, per Marc Antoine Godin of Radio-Canada.
Montembeault has lost his past three outings while allowing a combined 10 goals on 69 shots (.855 save percentage). He's down to a 3-5-1 record with a 3.37 GAA and an .897 save percentage across nine appearances this season. New Jersey will be a challenging adversary to end that slump against -- the Devils rank 10th offensively with 3.53 goals per game.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: No luck in loss
Rotowire
Montembeault stopped 33 of 36 shots in Tuesday's 3-2 overtime loss to Calgary.
Montembeault played well and could have used some luck. A fluky bounce, poor defense and a lost stick had a hand in the three goals allowed. After a dismal performance in an 8-2 loss to the Kraken, Montembeault has put up two strong starts, posting a combined .915 save percentage. Next up for the Habs is a Thursday's road game in New Jersey.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: In goal Tuesday
Rotowire
Montembeault will be in the blue paint for Tuesday's home matchup against Calgary, according to Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports
After starting the season with back-to-back wins, Montembeault is 1-5-0 over his last six appearances. The 28-year-old will face a Calgary club that sits 20th in the league with 2.83 goals per game. Through eight appearances, Montembeault is sporting a 3-5-0 record, .894 save percentage and 3.43 GAA.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Better, but Habs lose
Rotowire
Montembeault stopped 21 of 23 shots in Saturday's 3-1 loss to the Penguins.
Montembeault was much better Saturday than in his previous start, when he was pulled after allowing five goals on 10 shots in Tuesday's loss to the Kraken. Defense and goaltending have been issues early on for Montreal, which had allowed 14 goals over its two previous games before Montembeault restored order Saturday. He upped his save percentage to .894 and improved his goals-against average to 3.43 through eight appearances in 2024-25. Montreal is off until Tuesday when it hosts Calgary.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Set to start Saturday
Rotowire
Montembeault will guard the road net Saturday against Pittsburgh, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
Entering Saturday's matchup, Montembeault has lost four of five outings while allowing 19 goals on 111 shots. He has a 3-4-0 record with one shutout, a 3.67 GAA and an .891 save percentage through seven appearances this season. Pittsburgh ranks 20th in the league with 2.92 goals per game in 2024-25.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Guarding goal Tuesday
Rotowire
Montembeault will patrol the home crease Tuesday against Seattle, per Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports.
Montembeault ended his three-game losing skid with a 29-save performance in Saturday's 5-2 win over St. Louis. He has a 3-3-0 record with a 2.94 GAA and a .914 save percentage through six appearances this season. Seattle has registered 27 goals in nine games during the 2024-25 campaign.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Back in win column
Rotowire
Montembeault stopped 29 of 31 shots in Saturday's 5-2 win over the Blues.
Montembeault had three long days to dwell on his previous outing after being pulled in the first period of Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Rangers. The win snapped a three-game losing skid for Montembeault. He has a 3-3-0 record with a 2.94 GAA and a .914 save percentage for a team that entered the night with the second-most high-danger scoring chances allowed (95), per Natural Stat Trick.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Starting Saturday
Rotowire
Montembeault will defend the home net versus St. Louis on Saturday, J.F. Chaumont of the NHL.com reports.
Montembeault gave up four goals on 10 shots Tuesday versus the Rangers, before he was pulled in the opening period. Montembeault lost his third straight game after starting the season with a pair of victories. He has a 3.17 GAA and a .909 save percentage in five appearances in 2024-25. The Blues are averaging 3.00 goals per game.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Chased early in loss
Rotowire
Montembeault allowed four goals on 10 shots and was removed during the first period of Tuesday's 7-2 loss to the Rangers.
Montembeault has hit the skids following a strong start to the season. He's allowed 12 goals on 70 shots (.829 save percentage) over his last three starts. Cayden Primeau finished out the game. Montreal is off until Saturday when it hosts the Blues, which gives head coach Martin St. Louis plenty of time to mull which goalie will start.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Set to start Thursday
Rotowire
Montembeault is slated to start Thursday's home game against the Kings, Patrick Friolet of RDS reports.
Montembeault has started in three of the Canadiens' first four games of the season, posting a 2-1-0 record, 2.03 GAA and .942 save percentage. He struggled during his most recent start Monday against the Penguins, turning aside just 25 of 30 shots, but he'll attempt to bounce back Thursday.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Falters in third outing
Rotowire
Montembeault allowed five goals on 30 shots in Monday's 6-3 loss to the Penguins.
Montembeault had been a wall through his first two starts, giving up one goal on 73 shots, but he was more of a window than a wall Monday. The Habs managed to hang in after falling behind, 2-0, but Pittsburgh scored three times in the third period, twice against Montembeault before they added an empty-netter. The Canadiens next play Thursday at home against Los Angeles.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Second strong outing Saturday
Rotowire
Montembeault stopped 24 of 25 shots in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Senators.
Montembeault, who won his second straight start, has been stellar to open the season. He's allowed just one goal over 73 shots in wins over Toronto and Ottawa. The 27-year-old remains the team's primary netminder after taking over the role in 2023-24. The Canadiens host the Penguins on Monday.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Starting versus Senators
Rotowire
Montembeault will protect the home goal versus the Senators on Saturday, per TSN 1200 Ottawa.
Montembeault earned a 48-save shutout in his season debut Wednesday versus the Maple Leafs. He'll look to keep things going against another Atlantic Division rival in his second start of the year. If the Canadiens struggle offensively again this season, Montembeault must be excellent to keep the team competitive.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Dazzles in season opener
Rotowire
Montembeault turned aside 48 shots in Wednesday's 1-0 win over the Maple Leafs.
Toronto fired at least 13 shots at Monty in every period, but the 27-year-old shone in the spotlight of Montreal's season opener and completely shut down Auston Matthews and company for his second career shutout. Montembeault has never posted a GAA below 3.00 in the NHL, so while he's locked in as the No. 1 netminder for the Canadiens, nights like this are likely to be few and far between without a significant improvement by the defense in front of him.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Between pipes versus Leafs
Rotowire
Montembeault will tend the twine at home against Toronto on Wednesday.
Montembeault is expected to carry the load for the Habs this season and could surpass his career-high 41 games played from last year. The Quebec native went 16-15-9 with a 3.14 GAA and zero shutouts in those contests, so he'll probably need to step up his game to avoid losing starts. With Montreal kicking off the 2024-25 campaign with a back-to-back, Cayden Primeau should get the nod on the road against Boston on Thursday.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Set to start Saturday
Rotowire
Montembeault is slated to start in Saturday's road game against Ottawa, per Murray Pam of Full Press Hockey.
Montembeault will play in Montreal's preseason finale. He posted a 16-15-9 record, 3.14 GAA and .903 save percentage in 41 regular-season appearances in 2023-24. The 27-year-old netminder will likely be in the net for the Canadiens on Opening Night against Toronto on Wednesday. Cayden Primeau is set to begin the season as Montreal's No. 2 netminder.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Set to start
Rotowire
Montembeault will patrol the home crease Saturday in preseason action against Toronto, per Simon-Olivier Lorange of La Presse.
Montembeault made 11 saves on 11 shots in a 3-0 exhibition win over New Jersey on Tuesday in 31:28 of playing time. He is expected to share Saturday's contest with Cayden Primeau. Montembeault is projected to start the upcoming campaign as Montreal's No. 1 netminder, while Primeau will be the backup.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Stops 28 in OT loss
Rotowire
Montembeault stopped 28 of 31 shots in Thursday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Islanders.
Montembeault was sharp Thursday, holding the Islanders to single goals in the second and third periods before ultimately surrendering the game-winner to Kyle Palmieri in overtime. Overall, the 27-year-old Montembeault is 16-15-8 with a .904 save percentage and 3.10 GAA this season. Cayden Primeau figures to get the starting nod Saturday in Ottawa, which would put Montembeault on track for his final start of the season Monday in Detroit.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Great bounce-back game
Rotowire
Montembeault made 33 saves in a 9-3 win over the Flyers on Tuesday.
Montembeault was busy, but he was also staked a 6-0 lead heading into the third frame and never relinquished it. Montembeault played a great bounce-back game after being yanked Saturday night after yielding four goals on 12 shots to Toronto. This season, he's 16-15-7 with a 3.10 GAA and .904 save percentage with no shutouts.
