The Montreal Canadiens may feel too early for a goaltending controversy. Still, they could consider sitting Samuel Montembeault on the bench for Monday night's game against the Vancouver Canucks. Jakub Dobes has been riding a hot streak since his assignment to the NHL, stopping 56 of 57 shots in back-to-back wins against two of the league's best teams.
I'm not saying that Montembeault has been terrible recently, as the Canadiens rode while Cayden Primeau was unplayable. However, he allowed 13 goals over his last four starts and has won only two of those games. Montembeault is undoubtedly the Canadiens' starting goaltender for the foreseeable future, but this situation could allow for another Dobes start.
Tonight, the Canadiens play with two games in hand against the Pittsburgh Penguins, and they sit two points behind them for the second wild card. The Penguins, Columbus Blue Jackets, and Ottawa Senators are idle, which leaves the Canadiens in a position to claim a playoff spot with a win over the Canucks. It'd do everything for the team's confidence to enter Tuesday in a playoff spot, regardless of how sustainable that position is in the long run.
So, it leaves the Canadiens in a conundrum when picking tonight's starting goaltender. Dobes likely gives them the best chance of winning, but they may not want to keep their starting goaltender on the bench for two consecutive games. The team is rolling along, and the slightest wrench thrown into the dressing room could upset the momentum, which is the last thing Martin St. Louis wants.
It's decisions like these that get coaches paid the big bucks. Does St. Louis take a chance on Dobes for the second consecutive game to go for that second wild-card position? Or does he trust his No. 1 netminder to bounce back after a couple of lackluster starts and get the win for his team? St. Louis' old-school style lends me to believe that he will go with Montembeault, but he surprised us with some of his decisions before.
The Canadiens will make us wait on their decision, as they canceled the morning skate, and will update everyone on tonight's lineup in a media availability before the game. Another question is the availability of Patrik Laine and David Savard, who missed both games this past weekend.