Canadiens Teammates Praise Jake Allen for 30-Save Win

Cole Caufield may have scored the overtime winner in Montreal's 3-2 win on Saturday against the Washington Capitals, but there was no doubt that Jake Allen was the reason that the home team left the Bell Centre with two points in the standings. 

"I think we could say we somewhat deserved to win it because of [Allen]. If it weren't for him, I don't know if we can still say that," said defenseman Mike Matheson expressing his gratitude. 

The dressing room was very happy that they squeezed out the win and did not waste the goalie's performance. "That's just the guy he is back there. We trust him, we're all behind him and it's great to see a guy like that get rewarded for such a good game. Obviously, we wanted to keep that two-goal lead for him, keep the shutout but he kept us in it," said Caufield praising Allen.

Brendan Gallagher did not hesitate one second when asked to identify one positive of the match, "Jake Allen. He was very good and made some very good saves. There's obviously some good parts in our game and some stuff to work on, but he was fantastic." 

The 33-year-old goalie stopped 30 pucks including several spectacular saves and all five shots taken by Capitals elite sniper Alex Ovechkin. The fans chanted 'Allen, Allen' several times during the night.

"It's a good feeling. They did it for [Sam Montembeault] last year for him and obviously [Carey Price] has had that in his back pocket for the last 15 years. When it happens, those are the things that at the end of your career that you remember," said Allen  referring to the reaction by the Bell Centre fans. 

Montreal has accumulated three of their five points in the standings when Allen has started the match. "He played two games this year and in both games he gave us a chance to win. It's a hard situation with three goalies, but Jake is a pro. You know what to expect. I'm happy for him. He earned the first star," Martin St. Louis said. 

The Canadiens play four times in six days starting on Monday and the goaltending will need to be solid for the team to win. 

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