There are less than 100 days to the start of the Olympics, so when is it time to be concerned about Canada’s goaltending? That was a rhetorical question. If you’re not already worried about who will be in net in Milan, then you probably didn’t have frost on your lawn this morning. For those who are not there yet, give it time, you’ll get there in both cases. One month into the season, Canada’s supposed best — the three goalies who were part of the 4 Nations Face-Off win in February — are not exactly playing their best. Jordan Binnington, who was the winning goalie at the 4 Nations Face-Off, has a .886 save percentage with the St. Louis Blues [http://thn.com/stlouis] and has allowed 12 goals in his past three starts. Meanwhile, 4 Nations Face-Off backup goalie Adin Hill remains out week-to-week with a lower-body injury after playing in just three games with the Vegas Golden Knights [http://thn.com/vegas]this season. But the biggest issue right now concerns Montreal [http://thn.com/montreal]'s Sam Montembeault. The No. 3 goalie at the 4 Nations Face-Off has a .842 save percentage and has sat out of four of the past five games. Forget about Team Canada. Right now, Montembeault isn’t even playing well enough to be in Montreal [http://thn.com/montreal]’s net. The Hockey News Big Show: How Can The Canadiens Help Montembeault Rebound? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/b55647d1-b972-4bfa-b82f-eb96185829a6.jpeg] The Hockey News Big Show: How Can The Canadiens Help Montembeault Rebound? Devan Dubnyk, Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discuss Sam Montembeault, Patrik Laine, the Devils, Wild and much more. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/podcast/the-hockey-news-big-show-how-can-the-canadiens-help-montembeault-rebound] “If you’re Montreal [http://thn.com/montreal] and things are working right now, give Sam Montembeault the rest and let him reset and re-focus,” said The Hockey News’ Editor-in-Chief Ryan Kennedy on the Big Show [https://thehockeynews.com/news/podcast/the-hockey-news-big-show-how-can-the-canadiens-help-montembeault-rebound] earlier this week. Former NHL goalie Devan Dubnyk sort of agrees. “He’s a good goalie, he’ll sort things out,” Dubnyk said of Montembeault on the Big Show [https://thehockeynews.com/news/podcast/the-hockey-news-big-show-how-can-the-canadiens-help-montembeault-rebound]. “But if Montembeault doesn’t get his game to a very high level I certainly don’t think that the third spot spot is his to lose. I think it’s completely wide open.” Canadiens: Who Should Start Against Seattle? [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/f17233c9-fbab-4465-bed4-43849b4647b2.jpeg] Canadiens: Who Should Start Against Seattle? It's an age-old story in the Montreal Canadiens' fan base, arguing about who should start the next game, but as things stand this season? There shouldn't even need to be a discussion... [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/montreal-canadiens/latest-news/canadiens-who-should-start-against-seattle] Again, there’s plenty of time between now and February for Canada’s goaltenders to settle down and find their game. But what if they don’t? Binnington defenders will tell you that stats don’t matter as long as the Blues goalie can find his game when it matters the most, just like he did at the 4 Nations Face-Off, where he went 3-1-0 with a .907 save percentage. And while that’s true, it’s not like Binnington is the second coming of Carey Price. Yes, Binnington has a winning resume. But that resume includes one Stanley Cup playoffs and one round robin tournament that included three other teams. Right now, there are nine Canadian goalies with a better goals-against average than Binnington's 3.27 GAA. Therein lies the challenge for Team Canada’s management, who ultimately must decide between familiarity versus finding someone, such as Washington's [http://thn.com/washington] Logan Thompson (1.44 GAA), New Jersey's [http://thn.com/nj]Jake Allen (1.93 GAA), Los Angeles' [http://thn.com/losangeles]Darcy Kuemper (2.81 GAA) or even Edmonton's [http://thn.com/edmonton]Stuart Skinner (2.41 GAA), who could be red-hot when the tournament is about to start. “You go Binnington, because he has that inside edge, intimidator kind of thing,” said Kennedy. “But if I’m going with a third, I think maybe you look at Darcy Kuemper, but it’s not like a lot of players have stepped up. The most obvious would be Logan Thompson, but the fact that Bruce Cassidy coached him and was on the 4 Nations coaching staff and Logan Thompson wasn’t there at the 4 Nations kind of tells me all I need to know about the possibilities that he’ll be at the Olympics.” “This is one where it’s going to be who’s playing how at the time of the roster announcement, sot there is really no way of knowing,” said Dubnyk. “I agree that Jordan Binnington is a lock with what he did at the 4 Nations. He won a Stanley Cup. He’s won at the 4 Nations. That’s a guy who’s shown that you want in there in these situations. “Adin Hill, same thing. The guy won a Cup. Another guy that I want in there if I need a guy. I’d put him at two, regardless as long as he’s back healthy.” The Art Of NHL Goalie Puckhandling Continues To Evolve: 'You Don't Have Time To Dillydally' [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/518a6e57-d7ed-4a91-8ae7-6a4366936e27.jpeg] The Art Of NHL Goalie Puckhandling Continues To Evolve: 'You Don't Have Time To Dillydally' Going back to the early days of the NHL, goalies would come out of their cages to play the puck. As the game has evolved, that ability has only become more important. This excerpt from The Goalie Issue shows how it's still not easy. [https://thehockeynews.com/news/latest-news/the-art-of-nhl-goalie-puckhandling-continues-to-evolve-you-don-t-have-time-to-dillydally] The third spot, however, seems to be the one area where you could make a change. And it’s not just Canada that is likely to do so. Team USA, which seems set on bringing Winnipeg's [http://thn.com/winnipeg]Connor Hellebuyck and Dallas' [http://thn.com/dallas]Jake Oettinger to Milan, might not want to bring along Jeremy Swayman, who struggled as the No. 1 goalie in Boston [http://thn.com/boston] last year and has followed it up with a 3.45 GAA and a .886 save percentage after seven games. If we’re basing the decision purely on stats and who is playing the best, then one of either Thompson or Kuemper should be representing Canada at the Olympics, while Vancouver's [http://thn.com/vancouver]Thatcher Demko or Seattle's [http://thn.com/seattle]Joey D'Accord should get a look for the U.S. “That third spot is going to be completely up in the air,” said Dubnyk. “I think watching Darcy Kuemper’s season and playoffs last year, there’s a big chance for him to be that guy if he’s playing at that level … I had (Skinner) in the conversation in the summer. He’s a guy who if he puts consistency together during season, which is what everybody’s been looking for, he’s certainly someone who can work his way into the conversation for sure.” -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- For action-packed issues, access to the entire magazine archive and a free issue, subscribe to The Hockey News at THN.com/free [https://thehockeynews.store/products/print-subscription]. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here [http://eepurl.com/i7OC4I]. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum. Image [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/aebbed25-8d7c-4493-997c-5f4e08d8777d.jpeg]
