Samuel Montembeault named NHL Goalie of the Week

We haven’t seen Cayden Primeau in front of the Canadiens net since last Monday.

The American was pulled from the game against the Buffalo Sabres because he couldn’t stop a beach ball, and it was Monty who got the start in the Habs’ last three games.

And let’s just say it would have been impossible (or almost impossible) to ask for more from the Québécois.

In his last three games, Monty has been on fire.

His numbers are exceptional:

• Loss to the Wild: 25 saves on 27 shots, a .926 save percentage and a 2.06 goals-against average.
• Victory over the Blue Jackets: 25 saves on 26 shots, a .962 save percentage and a 1.00 goals-against average.
• Victory over the Oilers: 30 saves on 30 shots (shutout), an efficiency rating of 1.000 and a goals-against-average of 0.00

Monty was instrumental in the Habs’ shutout of the Oilers last night.

The goaltender was named one of the NHL’s Goaltenders of the Week:

Let’s give a round of applause to these goalies! @pepsi Goalies of the Week pic.twitter.com/aUJmL5GuPg

– NHL (@NHL) November 19, 2024

I’m happy for Monty.

Every time I go to a practice in Brossard, he’s one of those guys who works super hard because he wants to get better.

He’s often on the ice before the others to work on his shortcomings. And what I like is that he doesn’t hesitate to practice what’s not going so well in his game:

The center players practice their face-offs on the first ice.

Meanwhile, on the second, we find Monty working – once again – on shots with traffic in front of the net. @DLCoulisses pic.twitter.com/cTxxeB3OUm

– Marc-Olivier Cook (@Cook_Marco) November 4, 2024

Samuel Montembeault has been a little inconsistent since the start of the season, but things have been looking up lately.

He’s racked up three wins in his last four outings, and last night he looked like a goalie who can be in net for Team Canada at the 4 Nations Tournament.

And that’s just as well, because Kyle Dubas (one of Team Canada’s executives) was there to spy on him…

Extension

While we’re on the subject of Monty…

The Canadiens’ next game isn’t until Saturday at the Bell Centre. That said, Montembeault should be the one in front of the Habs net, because he’s the one who deserves to play right now.

Cayden Primeau must wait his turn in my eyes.