Samuel Montembeault turned down Jeremy Swayman’s invitation to fight

Last night was truly a Saturday night match-up between the Montreal Canadiens and the Boston Bruins.

It’s been a long time since we’ve felt such a fierce rivalry between the two clubs.

The Bruins had won the last ten meetings between the two teams prior to last night.

There was animosity in the air, and all the more so in the third period.

The Habs set the tone with two goals in 27 seconds, waking up a crowd that had fallen asleep in the second period.

The third period was quite a spectacle, with a disallowed Bruins goal, a 5-on-3 defended to perfection by the CH, a Brad Marchand goal and several scrimmages and skirmishes, including one that could have led to a goaltender brawl.

Oh yeah, a goalie brawl?

Well, yes, after a long scrum caused by Brendan Gallagher’s relentless pursuit of Jeremy Swayman’s net, the Bruins goalie, who had lost his helmet, extended an invitation to Samuel Montembeault, which Montembeault declined.

Here’s the complete sequence.

Don’t worry, I think Kaiden Guhle took the smile off Jeremy Swayman’s face.

In short, it could have been quite a moment yesterday at the Bell Centre had Montembeault ever decided to join Swayman.

However, the CH goaltender explained that defeat will hurt Swayman far more than a fight, as reported by Jean-François Chaumont of the Journal de Montréal.

“I saw him waving at me. He wanted me to go, but I didn’t want to. I told Martin (St-Louis) that I don’t hit hard enough anyway. I think defeat will hurt him even more.” – Samuel Montembeault

A wise decision for Montembeault, who had an excellent game against one of the best, if not the best, team in the NHL.

Let’s talk about another player involved in this scrum, Brendan Gallagher.

Honestly, it was really nice to see Gally go last night.

He really was the drooling, arrogant, tiring, working Gallagher of old, and against the Boston Bruins no less.

It’s so good to see him perform the way he can, something we hadn’t thought possible for two seasons.

We really owe him an apology, because Gally is at the heart of the Habs’ success right now.

The Tricolore’s number 11 really deserves all the praise in the world right now, even from Brad Marchand.

Yes, yes, from Brad Marchand.

After the game, the Bruins captain praised Gallagher’s work and the important player he is.

Jonathan Bernier of Le Journal de Montréal reported the Bruins’ #63’s remarks.

“I have a lot of respect for players who have a high level of competition, who leave everything on the ice. Gallagher is the kind of guy you win with, the guy you want on your team when you get to the playoffs.” – Brad Marchand

It’s nice to see Marchand, a hated player in Montreal, take the time to compliment a Montreal opponent.

We all respect each other, no matter what.

In a flurry

– The Rocket will be in action today.

It’s game day! It’s game day!
Presented by @SkipTheDishes

Canada Life Center
15h00 / 3:00 p.m.
BPM Sports
AHLTV#GoRocket pic.twitter.com/rPHfe65mCI

– Rocket de Laval (@RocketLaval) November 12, 2023

– Wow, a crazy schedule!

– This will be a great moment for him.

When he was 16, Lucas Raymond sat in the stands as a fan for an NHL game in his native Sweden. Now 21, he returns to play in one with the Red Wings. https://t.co/1K6V292JoO

– Nick Cotsonika (@cotsonika) November 12, 2023

– Coming up.

– Congratulations!