This morning, at 9:30 AM, the Montreal Canadiens will board a charter flight to Florida to begin their traditional holiday trip in the sunbelt. Their first of five will be a tilt with the Tampa Bay Lightning on December 28. With 45 points, the Habs are second in the Atlantic Division and fourth in the Eastern Conference, behind the Carolina Hurricanes, who have just 47 points. In fact, only five points separate the Conference leaders and the last wild-card spot, held by the Florida Panthers. In other words, every point is crucial at this stage, and Martin St-Louis is aware of that fact.
While it’s a good position to be in, the Canadiens still have to decide on what they are going to do with their goaltenders. The plan may have been for the Habs to give Jacob Fowler a few games this season to see where he is, but because of the goaltending issues that have plagued the first half of the season, that plan came very early.
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Before the Christmas break, former number one goaltender Samuel Montembeault was sent down to the Laval Rocket in the AHL to work on his game and play a couple of games. He won neither of them, although he couldn’t be blamed for the losses, but he did spend a lot of time with Rocket goalie coach Marco Marciano, going back to the basics.
In fact, the Canadiens were meant to call him up on December 21, but since he had played the night before and the Habs weren’t set to hold any practice in Pittsburgh or in Boston, they elected not to do so. He stayed behind with Marciano and worked hard in Brossard.
Now, the Habs will have to call him up, since the rules for a conditioning stint in the AHL allow it to last up to 14 days and require the player's consent. It’s doubtful that Montembeault will want to extend his stay, which means that unless the Habs send down a goaltender, they’ll be travelling with a trio of masked men.
While both Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler are waiver-exempt and could conceivably be sent down, I don’t think it would be wise to send Dobes down. Still, Fowler has made it very hard for the Canadiens to demote him, even though he’s in the first year of his professional career.
So far in five games, he has a 3-1-1 record, with a 2.40 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. Furthermore, as pointed out by TVA Sports’ Anthony Martineau, among all NHL goaltenders who have played at least five games this season, the youngster ranks first in expected goals saved per 60 minutes and second in save percentage on high-danger shots. In his last two games, he has shut out the Pittsburgh Penguins and backstopped the Canadiens to a big win against the Boston Bruins, on enemy territory. Even though the Bruins came out strong in the first frame, he weathered the storm as the hosts peppered his net with 17 shots in the first frame and allowed the Tricolore to come back in the game and get the two points.
How can the Canadiens justify sending him back down with the form he’s in? With the playoff race as tight as it is right now, Montreal cannot attempt to make a mistake. Sending the youngster down when he’s doing too well would send the wrong message. I can understand the organization wanting to give Montembeault a chance to bounce back, but it cannot afford to waste points. If the Becancour native falters, he needs to make way. Until he’s proven he’s got his game back, the Canadiens shouldn’t send down Fowler, even if his age, experience and contract situation make him the perfect candidate to go to Laval.
Professional sports is a results business; the Canadiens are no longer at the start of a rebuild. They need points, and they need them both now and, in the future, if they want to make the spring dance, and there is no doubt that they do. Whichever way you look at it, Fowler has made a fantastic case for himself to be kept around, and he has earned it, at least the way I see it. Despite money and contractual implications, it’s merit that should dictate the way forward; that’s how you build a winning team and culture.
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