What goalie controversy?
There were some Canadiens fans — and media members — questioning Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis’s decision to start Samuel Montembeault in goal against the Tampa Bay Lightning Tuesday night instead of Jakub Dobes, who has a perfect 5-0 record since getting called up from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, along with a 1.55 goals-against average and a .941 save percentage.
But Montembeault silenced those critics by making 33 saves in a 3-2 win over the Lightning, improving his record to 17-16-3 with a 2.95 GAA and a .899 save percentage. The 17 wins are a career high for Montembeault, one more than he had last season when he posted a 16-15-9 record with a 3.14 GAA and a .903 save percentage.
Montembeault will start in goal again Thursday in Detroit when the Canadiens play the Red Wings (7 p.m., TSN2, RDS).
In this week’s Hockey Inside/Out Show, former Canadiens teammates and 1986 Stanley Cup champions Chris Nilan and Rick Green join The Gazette’s Stu Cowan to discuss St. Louis’s decision to stick with Montembeault as his No. 1 goalie.
They also discuss how St. Louis’s system is working so well in Year 3 of the rebuilding process with a 13-3-1 record over the last 17 games and how the second line of Kirby Dach between Patrik Laine and Alex Newhook has played a key role in the recent success.
Finally, our panel debates what GM Kent Hughes should do at the March 7 NHL trade deadline, with forwards Jake Evans, Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak and defenceman David Savard all eligible to become unrestricted free agents on July 1.
What would you do?
Let us know in the comments section below.