The Montreal Canadiens defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-0 on Saturday night, which marked the fourth shutout of the season for Sam Montembeault. It is a new career-high for the Quebec-born goaltender, and the first time a Canadiens goalie has done it since Carey Price in 2019-20. Montembeault's previous career-high was one, which he set in 2021-22. He failed to record a shutout in each of the past two seasons, which is a great sign for his development.
Shutouts aren't the main stat for a goaltender. It's a nice notch on the resume, but if a goalie wins 40 games by allowing one goal in each it doesn't mean he's a bad goaltender because he didn't record a shutout. In an offensively-driven league, shutouts are getting harder to come by, and a good goaltender can win games 4-3, and it'd be fine. However, being able to record four shutouts in a single season is a testament to how good of a year it has been for Montembeault.
The Four Nations Faceoff was a great experience for the goaltender, even though he didn't get into any game action. It might have felt a bit silly for him when he had to walk across the ice in his suit and receive his medal, but the on-the-job training he gained by being in the same dressing room as the world's best is something he can take away. Considering he stopped 47 of 49 shots since returning in back-to-back wins, the tournament served its purpose.
Chasing Carey Price
The chase to live up to the expectations left by Price is a near-impossible mountain to climb. Price didn't win a Stanley Cup with the Canadiens, but he was one of the best, if not the best, for the years. Montembeault entered this season just hoping to make a good impression with the looming arrival of Jacob Fowler, but he has done enough to prove it should be his net for at least the next few years.
Price eclipsed the four-shutout mark six times in his career. His career-high was nine in 2014-15 when he swept the awards by winning the Hart Memorial Trophy, Vezina Trophy, Jennings Trophy, and Ted Lindsay Award. Will Montembeault ever reach that level? It's highly unlikely. However, if Montembeault sticks around for the next few seasons and the Canadiens' young core comes to fruition, he could have a chance to win the one trophy that eluded Price for his entire career.