{"id":294215,"date":"2025-11-19T22:55:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-19T22:55:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/294215\/"},"modified":"2025-11-19T22:55:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-19T22:55:13","slug":"canadiens-notebook-time-for-goaltenders-to-step-up-fight-for-net","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/294215\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadiens notebook: Time for goaltenders to step up, fight for net"},"content":{"rendered":"

BROSSARD, Que.\u2014 Where the Montreal Canadiens<\/a> left off was with\u00a0a step in the right direction in Columbus<\/a>, in a 4-3 shootout loss over which they were much more resemblant of the team that shot out to a 9-3-0 start to the season and much less so the one that dropped five of six games prior to losing against the Blue Jackets.<\/p>\n

Now, their restored confidence must be bolstered by one of their goaltenders, and it doesn\u2019t matter which one.<\/p>\n

Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis knows.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the season, with the Canadiens winning with regularity, he could stand by No. 1 goaltender Samuel Montembeault and give him more opportunity to find the best version of himself, especially with backup Jakub Dobes<\/a> playing at the height of his abilities.<\/p>\n

But now, after four straight losses, with the gaps in the Eastern Conference standings narrowing with each passing day and nearly a quarter of the season played, that luxury no longer exists. The Canadiens need more saves, and they\u2019ll take them from whomever appears more likely to provide them.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s why when we asked St. Louis on Wednesday if it was time for a more open competition between Montembeault and Dobes for the starting position, he responded: \u201cI think we\u2019re there.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neither goaltender has risen to the challenge throughout this turbulent, 1-3-3 stretch for the Canadiens, and both know the team is depending on them to do it now.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe one thing the guys need in the games is maybe more key saves at key times to maybe give them a little bit of momentum,\u201d said Dobes, \u201cso that\u2019s the one thing I\u2019m trying to do in future games.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what the 24-year-old did with regularity through his first five starts of the season.<\/p>\n

Dobes won all those games, stopping 141 of the 150 shots he faced.<\/p>\n

But since then, he\u2019s won just one of four games and allowed 15 of 85 shots to get by him.<\/p>\n

Montembeault has made 11 appearances and hasn\u2019t fared any better, too rarely appearing like the goaltender who seized the starter\u2019s role two seasons ago and earned the leash that was extended to him through Montreal\u2019s good start to this campaign.<\/p>\n

The 29-year-old knows why it\u2019s being tightened right now.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy job is to give the team a chance to win,\u201d Montembeault said on Wednesday.<\/p>\n

He has owned not doing it to his\u2014or the team\u2019s\u2014satisfaction to date, with a 4-5-0 record and a career-low .858 save percentage serving as ugly reflections of that reality.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s knocked Montembeault out of the comfortable chair he occupied to start the season, but also put him in the less cozy one he\u2019s been familiar with his whole life.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven growing up, always been in competition,\u201d he said. \u201cDidn\u2019t always play the highest level of hockey, so I always had to fight and keep persevering and trying to get better.\u201d<\/p>\n

It\u2019s what the Canadiens need from Montembeault right now, with his number being called for Thursday\u2019s game against the Washington Capitals, and with his teammates taking the step in Columbus that they believe brought them to the final one they must take to get out of this hole.<\/p>\n

If the goaltender doesn\u2019t rise to the occasion, Dobes must be ready to pounce on the best opportunity he\u2019s had over his short career to become an NHL starter.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a scenario the Ostrava, Cze., native has been dreaming of, and it\u2019s good that he doesn\u2019t seem fazed by the pressure that comes with it.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s obviously a lot of pressure in Montreal, but pressure is a privilege at the end of the day,\u201d Dobes said. \u201cEveryone would like to have this kind of pressure and play in front of these fans and play for this logo. So, I feel like at the end of the day it\u2019s always a positive thing and you\u2019ve just got to focus on your thing. I personally don\u2019t notice much during a game. I\u2019m so in my zone that I have no idea what\u2019s going on, so the pressure part doesn\u2019t really affect me.\u201d<\/p>\n

It’s only going to rachet it up on him and Montembeault if neither of them begins producing results.<\/p>\n

Jared Davidson avoiding early-career traps, gaining confidence<\/p>\n

The sample size is admittedly miniscule, but still revealing in certain ways.<\/p>\n

Because Davidson, 23, has been able to show in just under 17 minutes of ice-time spread over his first two NHL games that he\u2019s not too overwhelmed to rely on his instincts.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s the hardest thing to do for a player realizing his lifelong dream of playing in the world\u2019s best league\u2014to turn the mind off and just go play\u2014and it\u2019s especially difficult to do while running on pure adrenaline.<\/p>\n

\u201cI couldn\u2019t sleep for 24 hours before,\u201d Davidson said about the time between receiving his promotion from the AHL\u2019s Laval Rocket and his debut on Hockey Night in Canada, against the Boston Bruins.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think before the game, maybe I was thinking a little more than normal, just not knowing what to expect really,\u201d Davidson added. \u201cBut once I\u2019m on the ice, things just shut off and whatever I\u2019ve worked on in the past just kind of took over. It\u2019s not really like I\u2019m thinking when I\u2019m out there. I\u2019m just kind of reacting and trying to, I don\u2019t want to say predict what\u2019s going to happen but going to where the puck\u2019s going to be. I don\u2019t think I\u2019m overthinking, just playing.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of equal importance was Davidson not overplaying.<\/p>\n

It would\u2019ve been normal for the former fifth-round pick to allow his desire to stand out overtake his need to play a simple, reliable game.<\/p>\n

But he never gave into that temptation.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think they\u2019ve been watching all year when I was in Laval, and the last couple of years, so they know what kind of player I am, and I know what kind of player I am,\u201d Davidson said. \u201cI don\u2019t think I need to go and re-invent the wheel. I think I know what I\u2019m good at, and I think when I\u2019m on my game, it\u2019s just simple and I\u2019m not overcomplicating anything. When pucks come, shoot it, finding little spots to get open. It\u2019s not like I have to force it.<\/p>\n

\u201cOnce you start forcing it, you grip your stick a little tighter and pucks don\u2019t come to you, you\u2019re too fast or too slow, you\u2019re not in the right spots.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that would be too big a departure from exactly what brought Davidson to Montreal.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s been an edgy player dating back to his start with the Seattle Thunderbirds in 2018, and that\u2019s part of what made him appealing to the Canadiens in the 2022 Draft\u2014and part of what made him a good option to call on right now.<\/p>\n

But Davidson\u2019s positioning\u2014which enabled him to score 80 goals over his last 124 games in the WHL before popping 33 goals over his last 84 games in the AHL\u2014is indicative of strong hockey sense, which he\u2019s been able to display to generate five shots despite playing such limited minutes so far in the NHL.<\/p>\n

What we\u2019ve seen so far is his game, which he\u2019s put a lot of work into, particularly off the ice.<\/p>\n

Davidson said watching video has been the biggest contributor to him seemingly always arriving in the right spots at the right time.<\/p>\n

\u201cWatching the game, you see structure in the d-zone, you see how guys move off of where the puck is, and once you\u2019re able to figure out where guys are going to be, you can almost predict where the holes are going to be,\u201d the Edmonton native said. \u201cI think just a lot of watching games, watching film and knowing what they\u2019re going to do so then I can figure out how I\u2019m going manipulate it. It\u2019s a lot of just studying and seeing what\u2019s there, what\u2019s not. When pucks go from below the goal line to the blue line, you can\u2019t go somewhere high to get a shot when you\u2019ve got to go a little lower to find different angles. And maybe reverse that if it goes high to low. Just watching the game is the biggest thing that\u2019s helped me.\u201d<\/p>\n

Finally experiencing it for the first time at this level and not being overwhelmed by the speed, physicality and skill all around him has made Davidson feel like he has reason to believe he can stick here.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think just getting a few shots in the first game (he had four in just 7:14 versus the Bruins), playing physical, playing my game and seeing it works, I think that kind of helps me think it\u2019s possible to have a career here,\u201d he said. \u201cAnd I want to, so I think that helps. But it\u2019s just continuing that and evolving and finding little things to improve on and just getting better every day.\u201d<\/p>\n

Capitals not quite same team that knocked Canadiens out of playoffs<\/p>\n

They were the best team in the Eastern Conference last season before beating the eighth-ranked Canadiens in five games of the first round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, but the Capitals currently have the 14th-best record in the conference and are searching for some positive momentum that\u2019s proven elusive thus far.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ll see if they gain some against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday before they travel to Montreal to take on the rested Canadiens.<\/p>\n

The Capitals are coming off a 2-1 win over the Los Angeles Kings, but it was only their third win in their last 10 games and the scoreline was indicative of the main problem they\u2019ve had so far.<\/p>\n

After scoring the second-most goals per game of any team in the league last season, the Capitals rank 24th\u00a0in the category through 19 games. And their power play, which ranks 30th, is scoring on just 14 per cent of its opportunities, which is almost 10 full points below what it finished at last season.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s laid waste to some remarkable performances Logan Thompson has offered.<\/p>\n

Through 13 starts, the Capitals\u2019 goaltender has put up the best save percentage (.925) and goals-against average (1.85) of the 51 goaltenders who have made at least six appearances so far.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Thompson is starting against the Oilers Wednesday, making it most likely the Canadiens will face Charlie Lindgren Thursday.<\/p>\n

Lindgren, who debuted with the Canadiens in 2016 and played against them for just over six minutes of last year\u2019s playoff series (after Thompson left Game 3 with an injury), is 2-3-1 with an .893 save percentage and a 3.16 goals-against average.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BROSSARD, Que.\u2014 Where the Montreal Canadiens left off was with\u00a0a step in the right direction in Columbus, in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":294216,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[433],"tags":[49,48,448,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-294215","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-nhl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-nhl","11":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=294215"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/294215\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=294215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=294215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=294215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}