The Heroic Performance of Samuel Montembeault at the Bell Centre

2023-12-05 03:16:19

At the end of the evening, with the victory hanging by a thread, supporters of the Canadian began chanting the name of Samuel Montembeault in the four corners of the Bell Centre.

Updated yesterday at 11:44 p.m.

Around here, there’s always been a lot of love for a goalie, even if it can sometimes turn a little sour, as Carey Price could certainly attest. But on this little Monday evening at the Bell Center, there was only one for Montembeault, author of 32 saves, most of them very difficult, like the one on Alex Wennberg with a piece of the pad.

If the Canadian was able to beat this tenacious Kraken by a score of 4-2, including a goal from Josh Anderson into an empty net at the end, it’s not bad thanks to the guy in front of the net.

“The guys really had a good start to the match, so I wanted to start the evening strong, too,” Montembeault said with his trademark modesty. We had some problems recently with the start of the match, and I wanted to be solid from the start. The guys allowed me to see the pucks coming, that sure helps. »

PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Kaiden Guhle, Brandon Tanev et Samuel Montembeault

What also helps, in the NHL anyway, is being able to bank on a real number one goalie, and Montembeault, new contract in his pocket, is becoming that guy with the Canadian.

One day, in fact, perhaps not today, but one day, the bosses of this team will have to ask themselves why he does not play more often, he who is clearly the best of the three masked men in front of this net since the start of the season.

What we also notice, more and more, is that the rest of the club seems confident when it is he who is automatically there.

“We know he’s going to make the saves he needs to make,” noted forward Jake Evans at the end of the evening. We know that we have this type of goalkeeper, and it gives confidence, it allows us to play calmly in our territory. We know we have a chance when he is in front of goal. »

So that sums it up, and for the sake of everyone, this three-way rotation should eventually end. In the atom ranks, it’s good to give everyone the chance, but in the National League, usually, it goes on merit.

And if anyone deserves the net more than the others around here, it’s Samuel Montembeault.

“I felt good,” he added, again with the same modesty. “Leaving with a 1-0 lead, it’s definitely better than having to play catch-up hockey. Then, we went for two goals, and that gave me a cushion, and it takes the pressure off, because you know that if you make a mistake, you still have some room to maneuver. »

It remains to be seen when Montembeault will be able to have the pleasure of seeing the net again. If this three-way rotation still holds, his next start wouldn’t be scheduled until next Sunday, unless the plan changes, in which case no one could be offended.

At the end of the evening, Martin St-Louis admitted that “it takes stops for the club to be in control”. This kind of thing seems to happen more often when it’s Montembeault who is there.

In details

Finally !

PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Josh Anderson (17) celebrates his first goal of the season with his teammates.

With the first of his two goals, Sean Monahan ended a 14-game scoreless streak. Tanner Pearson had waited even longer: 19 games. But no one made much of it because, yes, Josh Anderson FINALLY scored his first goal of the season, in his 25th game. It was an empty net, but it still counts. His comrades on the ice, goalie included, rushed at him as if he had just scored his 50th. And the bench players also stood up, confirming how popular Anderson is with his teammates. “That’s why we love team sports,” said the hero of the day at the end of the evening. We take care of each other in this locker room. I love playing for this club. » The striker has not hidden that some moments have been difficult in recent weeks. Recently, however, he has tried to take a step back. “I said to myself, ‘You’re in this league for a reason. Do what you know how to do, get back to basics, and good things will happen.” » And it happened.

Slafkovsky s’éclate

PHOTO ERIC BOLTE, USA TODAY SPORTS VIA REUTERS CON

Juraj Slafkovsky (20)

New day, new first trio. Juraj Slafkovsky was given the mission of completing the duo of Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield on Monday, after a short similar experiment conducted a few weeks ago proved more or less conclusive. Martin St-Louis, however, explained in the morning that the young man’s defensive play and his progress in the offensive zone inspired him with confidence. Bet won: the Slovak responded with a very strong match, possibly the one in which he showed the most consistency this season. “He did so many positive actions on the ice,” marveled his coach. I know he doesn’t have any goals or points, but if you watched the game, you liked him game. The scorecard doesn’t tell everything. » Slafkovsky was particularly visible on the forecheck, using his extraordinary size to good effect to recover and protect the puck. His coach attributed his success to his mobility. “If you don’t use your feet, you can’t use your size,” he analyzed.

The worst advance

For the first time this season, the Canadian gave himself a priority of three goals, which scientists and philosophers historically agree to describe as the worst lead imaginable in hockey. Without it surprising many people, this cushion was reduced to two, then to a single goal, while there was still a good 15 minutes to play in the third period and the Kraken seemed to have come back to life. Samuel Montembeault helped save the victory, but it must be admitted that he did not get there alone. The trio of Jake Evans, Sean Monahan and Josh Anderson were given important missions, including closing the books against six opposing skaters at the very end of the match – successfully, as we know. “We haven’t played with a lead often recently,” Evans admitted. We learn, we improve and we learn to win. I hope it will be easier next time! »