Unsurprisingly, it is Samuel Montembeault who will be in net this evening against the Blue Jackets.
I say “no surprise”, because if Cayden Primeau had to play, it would have been Friday in Detroit. When Monty was elected the starter in this game, it was clear that Primeau was not in Martin St-Louis' plans before the holidays.
Will he play another match with the Canadian? If so, when will it be? It's a legitimate question, as the American hasn't started a match since December 1st. Since then, there have been 10 departures, including this evening's, for Montembeault, who will have time to rest during the break. He deserves it, anyway.
After this leave, here is the (difficult) schedule for Martin St-Louis’ troupe:
- December 28 in Florida
- December 29 in Tampa Bay
- December 31 in Vegas
- January 3 in Chicago
- January 4 in Colorado
- January 6 against Vancouver (at the Bell Centre)
If Primeau plays one of these games, it will be January 3 in Chicago. If Montembeault played two consecutive games against the Red Wings, he could certainly do the same against the two Florida teams, with minimal travel in the evening.
The other possibility is to see Jakub Dobes in Montreal. The netminder is back in action and with his good performances in Laval over the last two seasons, he would certainly deserve a recall.
Maybe that's the team's plan. That remains to be seen.
One thing is certain, the team no longer has confidence in Cayden Primeau. I don't even know if Primeau is the team's current second goalie…
Currently, the Canadian has 22 players (out of 23) in its lineup. He could recall a guy (like Dobes) without having to send a guy down.
Let's remember, for all intents and purposes, that Primeau would have to go through waivers if management wanted to send him with the Rocket. Same thing for Michael Pezzetta, who hasn't played since October 27.
But that's another story.
In burst
– J’imagine.
– Indeed.
– It remains to be seen whether he will be in uniform this evening.
