Cayden Primeau Blanks Columbus Blue Jackets

The Montreal Canadiens decided to roll with Cayden Primeau and Samuel Montembeault to carry them through the tail end of the 2023-24 season.

On Tuesday night against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Primeau thanked Kent Hughes, Jeff Gorton and the rest of management with an oustanding performance. In a game that saw Blue Jackets starting goaltender surrender three goals on the first four shots of the game, the Habs were heavily outshot. Primeau was called on throughout the game to make some huge stops, because of defensive breakdowns and hiccups.

The Bell Centre crowd was loud and proud all night and showed their appreciation for Primeau's performance. On a night where he was the first star, the first line didn't dominate and Joshua Roy and Juraj Slafkovsky were brilliant. No. 30 put on a clinic frustrating the Blue Jackets all night and stealing the win for the Habs.

Primeau's shutout was his second in as many games, both coming in front of the Bell Centre faithful. These performances make the decision to wait so long to trade Jake Allen even more questionable. Primeau carries himself much like Carey Price before him, his play does the talking, but his response to Marc Denis is very telling of his mentality.

Allen will be missed for everything that he was, and for all he contributed to the team both on and off the ice. But Primeau knows he has earned his shot in the Habs crease as the backup, and he seems poised to lock it in. Just getting started is exactly what the Habs are doing, and Primeau's best days are still ahead of him.

Primeau's confidence is definitely at an all-time high, and while it may be too little too late for this season, it's something to build on heading into the 2024-25 campaign. Stealing wins has become a regular thing for Canadiens goaltenders, but it isn't any less impressive when it happens.

The story of the game was Primeau, and it's no surprise that the fans serenaded the game's first star. With Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler marinating in the AHL and NCAA respectively, Primeau has taken it upon himself to prove he is no slouch. He isn't going anywhere and he makes the Habs one-two punch in the net something to look forward to heading into next season.

His 40+ save performance appeared to be very routine, and his positioning and athleticism, made it look like he was in a rocking chair