The Montreal Canadiens looked like they were ready to take the next step in their quest to be a completely relevant team again in 2025-26. They jumped out to first place in the Atlantic Division and are currently tied for the top spot with the Ottawa Senators and Boston Bruins. But until the Canadiens can get consistent with their goaltending, it's going to be hard for them to keep pace as the season wears on.
For a good part of the 2025-26 season, the Canadiens' high-octane game has let them get away with its mediocre play in the net. The Canadiens are currently seventh in the NHL in scoring, with 58 goals through 17 games, good for 3.41 per contest. But they have been a completely different story defensively, allowing 59 goals. That puts them 22nd in the league.
While overall defensive play is responsible for some of this, it's worth noting that the Canadiens have been allowing just 26.4 shots per game. That's a manageable number that the tandem of Jakub Dobes and Sam Montembeault should handle better, especially with the bar rising in Quebec.
Goaltending is holding the Canadiens back in the first quarter of the 2025-26 season
Jakub Dobes has shown flashes that he can be the number one netminder for the Canadiens. He started the season 4-0, allowed six goals, and posted a 0.950 save percentage. Those numbers were off-the-charts good, and he was a major reason for the Canadiens' early-season success.
But in his previous four starts, the foundation started to crack. Dobes has looked like anything but a clear-cut number one netminder. Over that four-game span, he has allowed 15 goals, while recording a paltry 0.839 save percentage. After allowing five goals in 13 shots during his most recent outing against the Dallas Stars, he was pulled after 40 minutes.
Right now, it's hard to put faith in Dobes, who looks like a streaky player who will give you a handful of elite outings before tailing off. Still just 24, these can be nothing more than growing pains, but it's also a sign that he's not ready to be thrust into a number-one role.
Sam Montembeault makes up the second half of this combo, and following a season that saw him post a career-best four shutouts and 2.82 GAA to go with a solid 0.901 save percentage, Montembeault looks like a completely different player.
Despite showing a few flashes of brilliance, he's posting just a 3.61 GAA and a poor 0.857 save percentage, and since it looked like he was starting to turn the corner last season, Montembeault might be the Canadiens' most disappointing player so far.
Montreal Canadiens may be still be searching for the true successor to Carey Price
The Canadiens have been struggling to fill the crease since Carey Price walked away from the game after making just five appearances in the 2021-22 season. While it's next to impossible to fill the void Price left behind, the Habs still need to figure out a way to get consistent, solid play out of Montembeault and Dobes, or find another netminder who will.
Even solid play in the crease with the high-octane unit the Canadiens have enjoyed so far in 2025-26 will take them a long way. And it's an even greater urgency now with Kaiden Guhle and Alex Newhook slated to miss significant time.
Losing a dynamic points producer like Newhook could put a dent into the Canadiens offensively, which calls for greater play in the net for Dobes and Montembeault. They don't need to be the next Carey Price, but both goaltenders must start playing better and more consistently than they have so far. Across the first 17 contests, they have been responsible in holding this team back.