The Canadiens have had brief moments in games where their play dipped, games in which they otherwise played well, but those little dips cost them.<\/p>\n
They had one as recently as Sunday, when two goals in 39 seconds by the St. Louis Blues in the first minute of the second period ruined what was an excellent performance by the Canadiens.<\/p>\n
There was another one in Pittsburgh on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Except when that moment came, the Canadiens survived. They had built a healthy three-goal cushion by then, sure, but they maintained that cushion throughout this lull, which essentially lasted for the second half of the second period, from the point Cole Caufield built that 3-0 lead on the power play with his 17th goal of the season.<\/p>\n
Turnovers in the neutral zone feeding the Penguins\u2019 offence, spending a lot of time in the defensive zone and losing their coverage as a result, the Canadiens were playing all the hits.<\/p>\n
And yet, it was the Canadiens who appeared to score the only goal over the second half of the second period, which would have been the first of Owen Beck\u2019s NHL career before it got called back on an offside review.<\/p>\n
What made this recurring moment different, this dip in play, this stretch of actions that help the other team, was Jacob Fowler.<\/p>\n
Fowler made his NHL debut Thursday night, not necessarily because it was his time. He made his NHL debut because it was the Canadiens\u2019 time. They needed a performance like this, he knew it, and he provided it.<\/p>\n
He only saw four shots in the first period, none for nearly 10 minutes to start the game, a testament to how well the Canadiens were playing in front of him. When the shots finally came, Fowler let them hit him, well-positioned, rarely giving up a rebound, rarely looking like he didn\u2019t belong.<\/p>\n
The calm composure he is known for shone through on every save he made, and that is what he was called up to provide.<\/p>\n
This game played out like so many others the Canadiens have played over the last few weeks, but the result was different for one reason, and one reason only.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe definitely played better,\u201d Brendan Gallagher, who scored his first five-on-five goal of the season, told reporters in Pittsburgh after the game. \u201cAttention to detail was better. I thought we limited their time and space, had a good start.<\/p>\n
\u201cObviously, they made some plays late. Our goaltender made some saves. Nice win, but we\u2019ve got to get on a little run here and continue it.\u201d<\/p>\n
JACOB FOWLER HUGE BACK-TO-BACK SAVES \ud83d\ude32 pic.twitter.com\/RH7JZ5aloZ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 TSN (@TSN_Sports) December 12, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Fowler grew up a Penguins fan. He idolized Sidney Crosby and Marc-Andr\u00e9 Fleury, and here he was, facing Crosby in Pittsburgh, just like Carey Price did in his NHL debut.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard not to notice when he\u2019s on the ice,\u201d Fowler said, \u201cand you want to stop it every time he shoots.\u201d<\/p>\n Crosby had seven shots on goal and went 22-for-26 in the faceoff circle, including 13-of-14 in the offensive zone. He had the puck a lot, right in Fowler\u2019s vicinity, impossible not to notice.<\/p>\n Crosby did not score, though one of the saves on him belongs to Lane Hutson.<\/p>\n Another critical one belongs to Fowler, and it said much of the impression he left during his NHL debut.<\/p>\n With just under two minutes left in regulation, with the Canadiens clinging to a 4-2 lead, Joe Veleno, Juraj Slafkovsk\u00fd, Mike Matheson and Alexandre Carrier had been on the ice for nearly two minutes and spent that entire time defending. The Penguins were buzzing, pushing to make it a one-goal game, and Crosby got the puck near the right circle with rookie Ben Kindel providing a screen in front of Fowler.<\/p>\n Crosby had time, had space and had a screen. When he took his shot, Fowler calmly snatched it with his glove and held on to it, allowing his exhausted teammates to get off the ice and for the entire team to take a breath.<\/p>\n The save looked easy. Every one of the 36 saves Fowler made looked easy. He wasted no movement in his crease. He was never sliding around looking desperate. He was square to the shooter.<\/p>\n Welcome to the NHL, Jacob Fowler! \ud83d\udc4f pic.twitter.com\/WwUINmq8kl<\/a><\/p>\n