Jacob Fowler is scheduled to play tomorrow in New York

Charles-Alexis Brisebois
Jacob Fowler is scheduled to play tomorrow in New York
Credit: Getty Images

Why was Jacob Fowler recalled?

The goalkeeper was recalled to infuse the club with new blood. To provide an electric shock. To be able to count on a goalie who makes the important saves. To help the Habs win.

He was also brought in to give the two regulars a chance to catch their breath.

Yesterday, Fowler did just that. In the Canadiens' 4-2 win, Fowler stood out by playing with the calm and control of a veteran.

He was clearly in his element.

On numerous occasions, we saw him position himself well in front of his net. We saw him freeze the puck when needed. We saw him move to make a nice, fluid save.

And he didn't let Sidney Crosby beat him all night long. Impressive, no?

I don't know if this will last over time. After all, at some point, Fowler will undoubtedly hit a wall and his lack of experience down there could stand out.

But since that day hasn't come, we'll have to play him, just to keep building momentum as a club.

Tomorrow's game is in New York. Why not give the net back to the hottest goalie the club has on hand, just to give themselves a chance of winning?

Not having him play at home (Sunday's game against the Oilers is at the Bell Centre) would take the pressure off Fowler, which the organization is clearly trying to do right now.

And the club plays better on the road!

Against an Eastern opponent, getting the two points will be important. And on this December 12, 2025, we all know what the best option is for winning games.

But we shouldn't just talk about Jacob Fowler either. Other players were able to stand up in the club's victory, in addition to the starting goaltender.

What do I take away from the game, both positive and negative?

Of Jacob Fowler's 36 saves, many came when the Canadiens were a man short, as it was a festival of indiscipline for Martin St-Louis's men.

We'll have to correct that. But at least, even without Jake Evans, the guys did well.

2. When I saw that Jake Evans wasn't playing, I thought Nick Suzuki was going to play a lot. After all, it would cut a guy down to size and take important face-offs.

The result? He posted defenseman-like playing time of 23 minutes.

As for Jared Davidson (5:44), he was one of the guys who got docked. There were quite a few power plays (six in Pittsburgh, three in Montreal) and he was penalized.

The same goes for Owen Beck (9:08), Brendan Gallagher (9:57), Joe Veleno (12:20), Alexandre Texier (12:32), and Ivan Demidov (12:43). The latter needs to shoot more often, by the way…

3. Owen Beck saw his first NHL goal disallowed due to an offside call that didn't change the flow of the game. The Penguins went for the restart, it took a long time… and the game was overturned.

Too bad for the kid, of course, but he needs to build his confidence and remember that he can score in the NHL.

But even if this whole process is really long (I'm talking about the restart) and it cuts the rhythm of the game… it was offside. The rules were applied.

It was up to Josh Anderson, a veteran, to do better.

4. Juraj Slafkovsky finished the game with a few appearances on the first line. How mixed up must Zachary Bolduc be, getting shuffled all over the place, both on the five-man attack and at even strength, for the past few games?

But Slaf deserved it. More and more, he's getting comfortable and we're seeing the player who was chosen first overall. And congratulations to Oliver Kapanen on his goal, who never lets up.

5. Clearly, the guys played a good game defensively. They had some stuff to work out, and they probably wanted to protect the kid in front of the net.

Now we have to do it at home and in front of Jakub Dobes or Samuel Montembeault.

6. Yesterday, Lane Hutson played a big one. Seeing him on the left with a true top-4 defenseman clearly brought his game to another level.

And what about his late-game save?


extension

The Canadiens will have the day off today in New York. And tomorrow, it's off against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden.

A win for the Habs would obviously help them in the standings.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Let's agree that THE question on everyone's mind right now is which goalie will play on Saturday and which will play on Sunday.

That's what every fan wants to know.

There's also the question of whether Jake Evans will be able to play, whether Arber Xhekaj will find his way back into the lineup, and whether the injured players on the road will continue to skate.

To be continued in due course.

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