Preseason games should mean a lot to Canadiens goaltenders

The NHL preseason won’t mean anything one month from now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t build early-season confidence in players who perform well before the games start to count. Over the past two contests, the Canadiens have outscored opponents 8-0, and every goaltender who’s seen action has been perfect. 

Let’s start with Sam Montembeault, the consensus 1A in Quebec this season. He finished last night’s shutout win over the New Jersey Devils with 11 saves on 11 total shots on goal. While we also need to applaud Connor Hughes for his outstanding performance with 13 saves, Montembeault should be brewing with confidence should he put up another excellent performance or two like that in the crease. 

Whether this comes against a team full of NHLers or those who will spend most of their time developing in the minors isn’t relevant. He’s come close to breaking out for a couple of seasons, and every excellent game will work in his favor before the games count. 

Now that the Habs should roll with just a two-goaltender system between him and Cayden Primeau, Montembeault may be called on to start between 45 and 50 games. Allowing so many goals in the preseason could be a hindrance to his confidence, so even with the games meaning little in September, let’s celebrate every time he shuts out an opponent. 

Canadiens netminders should be enjoying confidence boosters right now

In Monday night’s win over the Philadelphia Flyers, Cayden Primeau put on a show by stopping all 13 shots he faced. Once again, it was an irrelevant game, but for someone like Primeau, who should start roughly 30 contests this year, it should show fans his encouraging 2023-24 season wasn’t just a one-hit-wonder, or at least that’s what we can think of now. 

He was good but nowhere near great last season, so as with Montembeault, playing a great game or two in the preseason should do wonders for his confidence level. Ditto for Jakub Dobes, who should be the organizational depth goaltender if Montembeault or Primeau were forced to miss time. 

Overall, it’s easy to look at a preseason performance and look away, as the games will be long forgotten this time next month. But it’s also an ideal time for players, especially younger ones taking on a more expansive role in the regular season, to build a strong foundation. 

The Canadiens are doing that as a whole when their NHL talent is playing, but right now, the goaltenders and their sensational play have impressed me the most.