Amazingly, the 48 saves Montreal Canadiens goalie Sam Montembeault made in the Habs’ 1-0 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs to open the season on Oct. 9 weren’t a career-high. In consecutive games in January 2022, he made another 48 in a 5-3 win over the Dallas Stars and then an actual-career-high 49 in a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vegas Golden Knights.
So, Montembeault has proven he can rise to the occasion before. However, for all intents and purposes, he entered 2024-25 as an average goalie on one of the worst-regarded tandems with Cayden Primeau. As Montembeault proved against the Leafs, that’s just the perception, not necessarily the reality.
Montembeault vs. Price
Ultimately, regardless of Montembeault’s ability to steal the odd game, he shouldn’t be counted on to do what he’s done once in a blue moon more often than that. As the Carey Price years proved, elite goaltending without effective defense or balanced scoring isn’t a recipe for long-term success.
Thankfully, the Canadiens fared significantly better on those two fronts the next night against the Boston Bruins. They put up four goals from three different lines, while giving up a respectable 29 shots on goal. Of course, the Canadiens fell behind 5-2 at one point, only to drop the contest 6-4 in the end, Primeau taking the loss.
However, just as Montembeault shouldn’t be expected to make upwards of 40 saves each night, the offense shouldn’t be expected to score four goals on the regular. There has to be a happy balance for the Canadiens to find some semblance of success this season, even when “success” has yet to be completely defined after the Habs just finished fifth from last, but also went out and acquired a superstar talent on paper in Patrik Laine in the offseason.
Canadiens’ On-Paper Playoff Aspirations
You arguably don’t go out and sign Laine unless you’d like to make the playoffs. However, even taking into account Laine’s injury, you probably show up to a greater extent in the season opener against one of your top rivals in the Leafs (despite the emotional victory). Sure, the Leafs are theoretical Stanley Cup contenders and the Canadiens are realistically playoff contenders at best, but, just as head coach Martin St. Louis said after the Bruins loss, “This is a team that was waiting for this game.”
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St. Louis was logically speaking of how the Habs had been playing their second game in as many nights, while the Bruins had had the benefit of an extra day’s rest. A few things, though:
- It’s not like the Bruins were opening their season or anything. They played had played the night before the Canadiens beat the Leafs.
- To that end, if the Canadiens are significantly more tired than the opposition literally days into the season, it doesn’t exactly bode well for their level of preparation moving forward.
- The Bruins are arguably even bigger Canadiens rivals than the Leafs, meaning the Habs should have been looking forward to the game too (with only Montembeault showing up to play apparently).
The Canadiens do get another crack at a rival with the Ottawa Senators coming to the town on Saturday, Oct. 12. And, while the Bruins and Leafs may represent the league’s (regular-season) elite, the Sens at least should be more up their alley as a team that is similarly rebuilding.
Also like the Sens, the Canadiens last played a few days ago, theoretically making for a completely evenly matched game. The only possible conclusion heading in is there should be no excuses. A win isn’t necessary, but a complete effort is, even if only to give everyone some idea of what to expect out of this team, because two games with drastically different outcomes just doesn’t. The next set of four games all come against projected bubble teams (Pittsburgh Penguins, Los Angeles Kings and New York Islanders), giving the Habs a golden opportunity to prove themselves as one as well.
Canadiens Have Improved, but How Much?
That’s the thing. Some may have looked at the team’s schedule in October and thought the Canadiens would be in trouble out of the gate. They’re facing a lot of playoff teams. However, with exception to the teams they’ve already played and the New York Rangers on Oct. 22, the widest margin any of the remaining opponents made the playoffs last season is seven (Kings).
If the Canadiens, who have at least improved as much as anyone they’ll face relative to last season after a successful summer, can’t keep pace so soon after the start of the season, it will only be able to be interpreted as a sign of a disappointing campaign to come. They say American Thanksgiving is the point when the playoff picture takes shape. The Habs really only need one month if not the first half-dozen games to know how good they really are.
Granted, the Edmonton Oilers only began to turn their season around, literally the day after last Thanksgiving, when they won their first of eight in a row, eventually reaching the Stanley Cup Final. So, things can obviously change drastically… as long as you’ve got a couple of the best players in the world in the same lineup. The Canadiens simply don’t.
For the Canadiens to find success, they need to find consistency. And, a mere two games in or not, they haven’t yet. They’ve obviously gotten noteworthy performances. For whatever it’s worth, Montembeault did set an NHL record for the most saves in a season-opening shutout. That’s clearly not going to happen every game. You only open the season once.
In contrast, it shouldn’t be outlandish to suggest they consistently get a solid effort throughout the lineup instead. After, all, in seasons past under St. Louis, that had been the team’s trademark to degree. Now that they’re better, that much shouldn’t change. However much better they are remains to be seen… over the next few weeks.
