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Montembeault to Start for Canadiens as Team Faces Senators
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- Montembeault to Start for Canadiens as Team Faces Senators
David Kirouac-Imagn Images
There was some encouraging news on the Montreal Canadiens health front, as the team announced they were assigning prospect David Reinbacher to the Laval Rocket in the AHL.
Experience Required
This move is to ensure Reinbacher can play on Friday or Saturday's matchup versus the Rochester Americans, which would be his first proper game since the conclusion of the 2024-25 Calder Cup playoffs.
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Reinbacher has only played 21 regular-season games in the last two AHL campaigns, a result of multiple injuries, not to mention his time spent playing for Kloten HC in the NL (Switzerland).
Given his lack of experience, it's only normal to offer him a rather long runway in the AHL, a situation that will be further compounded by the fact that he's joining the lineup as most of his teammates and opponents have had plenty of time to find their rhythm, and are approaching mid-season form.
With the trade that saw Logan Mailloux join the St. Louis Blues in exchange for Zachary Bolduc , not to mention a string of injuries, the defensive options in Laval are rather limited, however, this should lead to a healthy dose of ice time for Reinbacher. As it stands, Adam Engstrom represents the only legitimate defensive prospect in Laval.
Reinbacher joins Joshua Roy and Marc Del Gaizo , who were re-assigned to the Rocket late on Wednesday night.
Montembeault Starts For The Montreal Canadiens
Head coach Martin St-Louis is usually quite reserved when it comes to his roster choices, but he decided to go out of his way to mention netminder Samuel Montembeault will be given the start against the Ottawa Senators on Saturday, rather than rookie Jakub Dobes .
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Montembeault represents one of the most underrated players in the organization, but there's no denying he's stumbled out of the gates, as evidenced by his 3.82 goals against average, as well as his .843 save percentage.
Dobes, on the other hand, is one of the hottest goalies in the league. His 1.97 goals against average and his .930 save percentage points to a young netminder who deserves more starts.
Clearly, numbers aren't the only driving force behind this decision.
If the Canadiens did not hand Montembeault the start, he would have gone without playing for over a week, far from an ideal situation for a goaltender who has lacked confidence to start the season.
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On the flip side of the coin, the pressure, which is already a significant factor, will only intensify should he falter against the Senators, a rival that always goes out of its way to play hard versus the Canadiens.
In seven career games versus Ottawa, Montembeault has established a 3-4-0 record, including a 3.19 goals against average, and a .889 save percentage. Dobes is yet to face the Senators in his short NHL career.
All things considered, the decision by St-Louis is understandable, as he has to maintain a healthy locker room, but there's absolutely nothing in the numbers to propose it's a logical move.
Even if the Montreal Canadiens have enjoyed a solid start to the season, they cannot afford to leave any points on the table, as their underlying numbers suggest they've been playing above their station.
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Dobes currently gives the Habs their best chance to secure as many points as possible, connoting that St-Louis is putting some of the pressure on his own shoulders by turning to Montembeault on Saturday.
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