In Montreal, being a goalkeeper is a bit like walking on a wire above the void: one wrong step and the criticism comes crashing down on you.
Samuel Montembeault knows this reality well. Tuesday night in Vegas, while the Canadian faced the Golden Knights, one of the best clubs in the league, Montembeault experienced this pressure head-on.
Two goals conceded in the first half, and the skeptics were already pulling out their pitchforks. “Ah, but where is Dobes? Why not give it another chance? Montembeault is not a number one! »
Yes, in Montreal, the debates always take on a disproportionate scale.
But Montembeault, true to himself, kept his calm. He closed the door in the second period, stood like a wall in the third, and finished the match in style, making a series of spectacular saves in the final seconds to preserve a 3-2 victory.
These stops? True jewels of determination and concentration. Watch this decisive moment for yourself, where the Quebec goalkeeper saves the day and gives the Canadian a third consecutive victory:
These saves from Montembeault, made in crucial moments, are exactly what we expect from a number one goalkeeper.
Yet despite its consistent performance, criticism continues to loom large. That’s Montreal: always looking for a perfect hero or a scapegoat.
The holiday trip was, however, a demonstration of character for the Canadian. Three consecutive victories against three top teams: the Panthers, the Lightning and the Golden Knights.
A first since 2017. And in this sequence, Montembeault played a key role. He not only contributed, he was the foundation the team relied on to triumph.
But back to Vegas, where Montembeault proved his resilience. After the two goals in the first period, some were ready to throw him under the bus.
However, it was he who allowed the Canadian to stay in the match.
“Monty gave us a chance to get the next goal”declared Martin St-Louis after the meeting.
And that’s exactly what happened. A spectacular comeback, punctuated by a winning goal from Kirby Dach, and a well-deserved victory for Montreal.
Montembeault ends the year 2024 with numbers that speak for him: 14 victories in 30 games, a goals against average of 2.87 and a save percentage of 0.902.
It’s perhaps not enough to calm the most demanding, but it’s more than respectable for a team still rebuilding.
And meanwhile, Jakub Dobes, the Canadiens’ young prospect, is already the subject of heated debate. With a shutout in his first NHL start, Dobes made a strong impression.
But as Stéphane Waite, former CH goalkeeper coach, pointed out, “We have to go there gradually. One game per week, no more. »
Montembeault, for his part, continues to bear the weight of daily pressure, to prove that he is capable of playing his role, and of responding to each challenge.
What we must understand is that Samuel Montembeault is not trying to be a hero. He’s not looking to steal games or be an impenetrable wall every night.
He does what any goaltender on a rebuilding team should do: give his team a chance to win. And on Tuesday night, that’s exactly what he did. Without frills, without artifice, but with formidable efficiency.
So, at the end of the year, perhaps it is time to recognize what Montembeault brings to this team.
No, it’s not perfect. Yes, he will make mistakes. But he’s a reliable, consistent goalie, and he’s shown he can elevate his game in big moments.
In Montreal, we often tend to look for what we don’t have, to dream of a perfect savior. But sometimes you have to know how to appreciate what you have.
And what the Canadian has is a goalkeeper who, night after night, accepts the challenge, even in the silence of the skeptics.
Montembeault is here to stay.
Maybe 2025 will be the year he finally gets the respect he deserves. In the meantime, he will continue to do his job, one stop at a time.
Amen
