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Tony Marinaro says he’s given up on Cayden Primeau, and understandably so
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Cayden Primeau didn’t look like a National League goalie last night.

Give him one thing: his teammates didn’t necessarily help him when they were in the defensive zone.

But it also has to be said that Primeau gave away some bad goals and should have performed better. The Habs may have scored four goals, but it’s hard to win if the goalie allows six…

So, after the game, Tony Marinaro decided to pour his heart out.

He told P.J. Stock, the evening’s guest on his podcast, that he’d seen enough: if it were up to him, it would be over with Cayden Primeau.

He said repeatedly that he was giving up on the goalie:

Basically, I thought Tony Marinaro’s comments were premeditated.

This is only the goalie’s first game of the season, and Primeau has had a more than respectable camp. He’s earned his place to start the season because he’s been solid in training and in the games he’s played in pre-season.

But I decided to take a look at his recent starts, and there’s one striking fact: Cayden Primeau has… Only two wins in his last nine games, if you include games from last season.

  • Loss to the Flames on March 16 (5-2)
  • Victory against the Kraken on March 24 (5-1)
  • Victory against the Flyers on March 28 (4-1)
  • Loss to Lightning on April 4 (7-4)
  • Loss to the Leafs on April 6 (4-2), when he replaced Montembeault in net
  • Loss to the Rangers on April 7 (5-2)
  • Loss to the Senators on April 13 (5-4)
  • Loss to the Wings on April 16 (5-4)
  • Loss to Bruins on October 10 (6-4)

Not only can’t he win, but he gives up a lot of goals in the games he loses.

And that’s a problem. The defense is young and makes mistakes, which is normal. But when that happens, you need a goalie who can help you win, and that hasn’t been the case with Primeau lately.

Maybe it’s too early to be alarmed, because we’ve seen flashes of Primeau in the past. In particular, he earned two shutouts in the last campaign.

But on the other hand, the goalie’s performance has to improve if the Habs really want to be in the mix this season.

That’s important, because the NHL is a league of results.


Overtime

– Can’t wait to see this.

– Speaking of Celebrini: he’s injured.

– A new contributor for the weekend show on BPM Sports.

– Oh.

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