The Montreal Canadiens have struggled as of late after losing three of their last four and find themselves in a tight playoff race with the Boston Bruins, Detroit Red Wings, and the team they are playing Saturday in the New York Islanders. This feels like a pivotal game that could define the Canadiens' season and whether they make the playoffs.
In a game of this type of importance, Martin St. Louis has appeared to go with the inexperienced Jacob Fowler over Jakub Dobes or Samuel Montembeault. The decision not to start Dobes is a little surprising, as he has been playing much better as of late, even though he has gone 1-2 in his last three starts.
In those three starts, Dobes has allowed only seven goals but has a save percentage of .907. Even in the last loss to the Red Wings, it probably would not have been as close as it was as Dobes stopped 25 of 27 shots.
Jacob Fowler has a huge opportunity ahead of him against the Islanders
Earlier this season, Fowler got an extended run with the Canadiens with 10 starts over a month from mid-December to mid-January. He went 4-4-2 but had great metrics that weren't reflective of his record.
Fowler would be sent back to the AHL, but was recalled earlier this month and has made two starts since his return to the Canadiens. In his first start, Fowler was great in net, and the moment didn't look too big for him as he stopped 32 of 34 shots, and the Canadiens would win 3-2 over the Senators.
The second start wasn't as strong as the Ducks jumped out to a 2-0 lead before the Canadiens responded with three consecutive goals in the second. However, Montreal wasn't able to hold onto the lead, and the Ducks scored a goal late in the third period for the win.
This is a big game not only for the Canadiens but also for Fowler, as he has a chance to show he should get more starts down the stretch and hopefully into the playoffs. The Islanders are currently just outside the playoffs but are only one point back of the Canadiens, which highlights how close this race is.
The Canadiens played the Islanders in the first game after the Olympic break and let the game slip away after leading late into the third period before the Islanders scored in the final minute of regulation before winning in overtime.
The importance of this game can't be understated as it pertains to the playoff picture, and the Montreal Canadiens really need to not only win but win in regulation to help give themselves some breathing room in the playoff race.