Montembeault Battles Back as Canadiens Fall in Shootout
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By Doug Hirdle
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Summary:
- Montreal goalie Sam Montembeault rebounded from a rough start, making 38 saves in a 5–4 shootout loss to Philadelphia.
- The Canadiens erased a 3–0 deficit with four goals in the second period before the Flyers tied it late.
- Head coach Martin St. Louis praised Montembeault’s resilience, saying it could be the kind of game he needed to bounce back.
Sam Montembeault experienced the full range of emotions that come with playing in Montreal on Tuesday night in the NHL.
Once the Canadiens fell behind 3–0 during the first period, the crowd at Bell Centre was quick to pull out the sarcastic cheering and clapping as Montembeault stopped an easy dump-in from center ice.
However, by the third period, those same fans were chanting his name, “Mon-ty! Mon-ty!”, as he helped drag his team back into the game.
Montreal ultimately fell 5–4 in a shootout to the Philadelphia Flyers, but the goalie’s 38-save performance helped them salvage a point after what could have been a disastrous start.
Montembeault: “The Best I’ve Felt Technically”
“Not the start I would have liked. But after, I was happy that I was able to stay in the game and battle through it. And honestly, after that, getting a lot of shots, it’s probably the best I’ve felt technically since the beginning of the year.
Head coach Martin St. Louis praised Montembeault for keeping his composure despite the early struggles and the fans’ quick swings in mood.
That’s kind of the market, right? Highs and lows. Sometimes you have to deal with lows because on the other side, the highs are so high. When I hear that, I definitely have empathy as a coach, and I hope he’s able to trust his training and stay in his bubble. It’s not easy.
St. Louis: “He Played a Hell of a Second Period”
The 29-year-old goalie was one of Montreal’s most reliable players last season but has had a rocky start this year, posting a 3.67 goals-against average and an .855 save percentage through seven starts.
His backup, Jakub Dobes, has been perfect at 6-0-0 with far better numbers. Still, St. Louis stood by his starter before the game, saying he expected Montembeault to handle the bulk of the workload once he found his rhythm.
That rhythm didn’t come right away, as the Flyers scored three goals in the first eight minutes, including two on a 5-on-3 power play. Montembeault said his “head was spinning”, but St. Louis chose to leave him in, hoping he’d settle down, and he did.
Montreal roared back in the second period with four goals to take the lead, while Montembeault shut the door at the other end. “He played a hell of a second period”, St. Louis said. “It may be the kind of game Monty needed to bounce back.”
The Flyers tied it late and won in the shootout, but Montembeault’s resilience stood out. “He faced a lot of shots and battled for us”, said defenseman Lane Hutson. “We wish we got the result for him”.
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