MONTREAL – In his first two seasons in the NHL, Samuel Montembeault had played 11 and 14 games. At 26, he has just made eight straight starts and continues to earn praise from his teammates.
“He’s phenomenal right now. I can’t think of another word to describe his game. He even made saves on passes through the slot, saves that we needed. He provides a huge dose of confidence to our group, “submitted Kirby Dach who is not the style to ignite in his comments.
We therefore expected that coach Martin St-Louis would add his score to this chorus of praise, but he wanted to praise his team instead.
“Look, it was Boston. It is certain that your goalkeeper will have to make good saves. You can ask the question to all the other teams, their goalkeeper will have to be very solid, ”commented the coach.
“He impresses me with his consistency, he hadn’t had to play so often with us. It’s encouraging, he seizes the opportunity that presents itself, ”he added when he was revived on the subject.
But hey, the players were transparent enough to recognize that Montembeault played a major role in this tight duel.
“Ah yes, it’s amazing how he plays. There were chances the Bruins should have counted on, but he was there with big saves and that was important to us,” Michael Matheson said.
The veteran defenseman spent two seasons with the Florida Panthers as Montembeault tried to break into the NHL. Did he see this talent in the Quebec goalkeeper?
“His athletic side was always present, but he didn’t have the chance to play often. It’s not easy to develop a rhythm, it’s good for him that he gets this chance, ”replied the left-hander.
Mentally, it was not easy for Montembeault to take such a defeat. It is presumed that the feeling of having accomplished everything crossed his mind.
But he has every reason to hold his head high. His progress is sensational compared to last year when he was placed in an unclear situation.
Since the beginning of January, he has been particularly on fire and he takes pleasure in frustrating several of the best players in the NHL.
“I’m confident right now so I’m not afraid to challenge the shots,” he admitted.
He also assimilates more and more the notions proposed by the goalkeeper coach, Éric Raymond.
“Patience is a word we often talk about with Eric, always be patient,” noted Montembeault.
That patience and the reminder not to overcommit to the shooter allowed him to rob Trent Frederic in the first period and David Pastrnak in the second period.
On a personal level, Montembeault has a very endearing personality. Laughing and sympathetic, he is however not the style to talk often in the locker room.
” Not really, no. It’s a bit more difficult for him in English. But on the road, I often hang out with him and David Savard and he talks more,” Matheson said with a smile.
When brother Alexandre Gascon, from Radio-Canadaremarking to him that he seems less odd than most Guardians, Matheson couldn’t help but laugh.
There are plenty of reasons, and an affordable salary, that prompted general manager Kent Hughes to say Montembeault isn’t going anywhere in the short term.
what they said
“We had reached our lowest point before that. We found a way to better prepare and become a better version than before. Our group has been able to grow. To get there, we need everyone involved,” commented St-Louis of encouraging performances against Winnipeg, Toronto and Boston.
“There are several ways to play at the tactical level, but we are really on the same wavelength now, we are getting closer to what we want to be without it being perfect. But I will take any team because we hold each other a lot, it shows in the last games. Winning isn’t always fair. You can work harder without winning. But the commitment is there, we take care of the team and our work ethic. It’s the foundation”, summarized St-Louis on the evolution of his group.
“Confidence is a big part of consistency. Players are also responsible for their level of confidence. It starts with your attitude, your state of mind and your work ethic. Dach brings that to practices and that makes him ready to play and his points help him”, noted St-Louis about Dach who exhibits very promising hockey.