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The Montreal Canadiens are back from a three-game trip in California with three points in their suitcases. Martin St. Louis hoped for more points but he evaluated that three is what they deserved.
This week begins with a back-to-back against a pair of division rivals. On Tuesday, the struggling Toronto Maple Leafs visit the Bell Centre, followed by a quick trip to face the Ottawa Senators the following night. After visiting them out west, the San Jose Sharks and Anaheim Ducks are in town on consecutive nights starting on Saturday.
Habs Notes
Goaltending has dominated recent conversations. Here are my notes on the topic.
- Jakub Dobes (20-6-4) was a key factor in Saturday’s win over the Los Angeles Kings. In the first period alone, he made 15 saves, including nine during the penalty kill to limit Montreal’s deficit to one.
- Since January 27th, St. Louis has been consistent in choosing the starting goalie. For the last 10 games, every time the Habs won, he kept the same goalie for the next contest. While fans keep questioning the decision, St. Louis is following a predictable pattern.
- Samuel Montembeault (10-8-4) faced heavy criticism after Friday’s loss to Anaheim. He’d certainly like another chance at a few of those long‑range shots, though he did stop all five high‑danger chances, per MoneyPuck.
- Since St. Louis began the winning goalie approach, apart from wins, both goaltenders have produced similar numbers. Dobes has five wins, a .900 save percentage, a 3.11 goals against average, and he averages 4.52 goals of run support in seven games. Montembeault has one win, a .896 save percentage, a 3.22 goals against average, and he receives 4.19 goals of run support.
- It’s fair to wonder if management is considering recalling Jacob Fowler (4-4-2) for another look. With the trade deadline now in the past, they won’t need to worry about waivers or demoting a netminder.
- Fowler’s 2.62 goals against average and .902 save percentage during his 10-game stint earlier this season are superior (in a small sample size) to the season-long numbers of Dobes and Montembeault. The rookie also suffered from poor run support, with the Habs scoring just 26 goals in his 10 starts.
Rocket Notes
The Rocket hosted the Syracuse Crunch (Tampa Bay Lightning) and the Rochester Americans (Buffalo Sabres) at Place Bell last week. Laval dropped the game on Wednesday against the Crunch 2-0, but bounced back by sweeping the Americans 4-2 on Friday and 4-3 in a shootout on Saturday.
This week, the Rocket are on the road to face the Utica Comets (Vancouver Canucks) on Friday, and the Crunch on Saturday.
Here are notes from the last week.
- After missing six games with an illness, Fowler returned in the crease on Friday, and earned first star with a 35-save performance.
- David Reinbacher had a solid weekend on both sides of the ice. Pascal Vincent threw him over the boards in all situations, including the top power play unit and the penalty kill. He obtained two points, nine shots and plus-5 rating this weekend. He has been the team’s best defenceman since Adam Engstrom’s injury. During the sequence, Reinbacher has six points, 17 shots, and plus-6 in six games.
- Florian Xhekaj returned to action on Friday following a three-game absence due to illness. He scored in both games and on Saturday, he had a Gordie Howe hat trick. His current role sees him centering the fourth line and the penalty kill.
- Sean Farrell wore an ‘A’ on his jersey this weekend, replacing the injured Tobie Bisson. The staff recognized Farrell for the leadership he brings to the locker room. He has 40 points this season in 59 games, and has a regular spot on the power play units. This weekend, he completed a line with Lucas Condotta and Joshua Roy. Farrell will be a restricted free agent at the end of the season, but with the offensive prospects in the pipeline, he has little chance of getting another NHL opportunity with this organization, in my opinion.
