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Samuel Montembeault deserves rest: his bad goals are proof of that
Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Samuel Montembeault deserves rest: his bad goals are proof of that
Credit: Getty Images
Last night, the Habs lost to the Islanders. It ended 4-3 in overtime.

It wasn’t a bad night for the Habs when looking at the playoff picture since many teams in the race lost and the Habs found a way to get a point.

But with the playoffs not being easy to reach, the team can’t really afford to make mistakes.

(Credit: Sportsnet)

The Habs didn’t play badly last night. Patrick Roy’s men were limited to just 25 shots in over 60 minutes, while the Habs had 41 shots.

But clearly, Ilya Sorokin was on form.

He was more so than Samuel Montembeault, who for the second game in a row gave up at least one bad goal that he shouldn’t have given up if he wants to keep his team in the game.

The first goal of the game is a good example. The third Islanders goal is also one.

Even if we look at the last goal of the game, the one in overtime, we can say it would have been good to see the goalie make up for Lane Hutson and Patrik Laine’s mistake, who took time to get back into position.

It was a great shot by Bo Horvat… but sometimes a goalie has to make the big save to keep his team in the game.

Does this mean that the Quebecer is a bad goalie? Absolutely not. He’s had excellent moments this year, and without his contribution on the ice, the team wouldn’t be where they are.

He’s the team’s number one goalie for a reason. And that won’t change in the short term.

But there’s also a reason why he’s been struggling lately. And in my opinion, it’s clear that fatigue must be a factor.

It’s very clear, even.

Last week, I wrote a post where I said the goalie was on pace to play about 20 more regular season games than in previous years, going from around 40 to 60.

And that’s not counting that he didn’t have a break in the sun during the All-Star Game.

I wondered if it would show. And seeing the bad goals he’s given up in recent days, I really wonder how much a little rest could do him good.

I understand that if Martin St-Louis had put Jakub Dobes in goal last night, the coach would have looked bad if the goalie wasn’t up to par. But giving Monty a little rest should be considered.

I don’t know if St-Louis will want to put Dobes in goal tomorrow at the Bell Centre against the Avalanche for some rest. I expect Montembeault to play tomorrow, that being said.

That being said, the question arises because with a rested Monty, the Habs would be better served. The Quebecer can make a difference.

But the performances of the Quebecer are not the only thing to take away from the Habs’ loss in New York last night. There are other points to analyze.

For example?

1. When Nick Suzuki scored on a breakaway and it took five minutes to determine that the goal wasn’t good by a millimeter, the right call was made. But at what cost?

Taking that much time for reviews kills the game. And that’s not good for the sport. And speaking of “not good for the sport”: how do you define interference on a goalie?

2. A game against Patrick Roy is less special than it was in 2024. Last night, it wasn’t a factor, and not many people were talking about the opposing coach.

The novelty of “Roy in New York” is gone.

3. Alex Newhook is not perfect as a second center, but we’ve seen worse in recent years. He’s taking advantage of his audition to show he can handle the center position.

He wouldn’t be bad on the third line next year.

4. I think everyone was happy for Brendan Gallagher’s family to see him score. He’s going through tough times after the loss of his mother in recent weeks.

He deserved his goal.

5. 50 assists in a season for a Habs forward, it’s something we hadn’t seen since Vincent Damphousse over 30 years ago. And now, Nick Suzuki has reached that mark.

That’s 71 points in 68 games for the captain. He needs 11 points in 14 games to reach 82.

6. Joshua Roy is getting more and more comfortable in the NHL. Last night, seeing him work for the puck and position himself in the scoring area to score was a good thing.

He needs to understand that’s the right recipe.


overtime

After the game, the Habs returned to Montreal. And on this spring Friday, the players have the day off to rest before tomorrow’s game against Colorado.

Will the Habs be able to win that game? Will the rest be beneficial? We’ll see.

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