The Montreal Canadiens have made a significant roster move by sending Sam Montembeault, the team’s starting goalie at the beginning of the season, to the American Hockey League’s Laval Rocket for a conditioning assignment. This decision came on Tuesday, with Montembeault set to join the team in Cleveland and take part in practice on Wednesday ahead of their upcoming game against the Monsters.
Montembeault, who has struggled this season with a 5-6-1 record, a 3.65 goals-against average, and a .857 save percentage, had shown promise as a solid starter in the past two seasons. Notably, he was part of Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off roster last February. However, his recent performances have not met expectations, with his last start resulting in a disappointing 5-2 loss to the Ottawa Senators where he allowed five goals on 29 shots.
Following Montembeault’s struggles, the Canadiens turned to goalie prospect Jacob Fowler from Laval, who was called up to make his third career start, and first in Montreal, against the Philadelphia Flyers on Tuesday night. Fowler had an impressive debut, making 36 saves in a 4-2 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he faced a setback in his next game as Montreal lost 5-4 in overtime to the New York Rangers after squandering a 3-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Jakub Dobes stepped up in goal for the Canadiens, making 27 saves in a 4-1 win against the Edmonton Oilers on Sunday. The team also announced that defenseman Mike Matheson is day-to-day due to an upper-body injury, causing him to miss Tuesday’s game. Matheson, who leads the Canadiens in average ice time at 24 minutes and 54 seconds, has contributed four goals and 12 assists in 32 games this season.
