In what may have been a pivotal moment for his season, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault delivered a 28-save performance in a 3-2 overtime victory against the Florida Panthers on Tuesday night. The win in Sunrise, Florida, served as a critical confidence booster for the beleaguered netminder, who had recently been sent to the AHL for a conditioning stint.
A Crucial Victory for Confidence
Facing his former team, Montembeault admitted to feeling nerves before the game but focused on building momentum with each save. He shut out the potent Panthers offense for over 50 minutes and, importantly, did not let a late goal from Sam Reinhart—scored on a sharp-angle shot—derail his focus. "I was having a really good game," Montembeault told reporters post-game. "Obviously that was something that hurt me earlier in the year—thinking too much after a goal or about the way I was playing. But I was playing a really good game."
The Road Back to Montreal
The start in Florida was Montembeault's first for the Canadiens since December 2. His last appearance had been a relief effort against Tampa Bay on December 9, which saw him allow three goals on 13 shots. Following that game, the team recalled rookie Jacob Fowler and subsequently assigned Montembeault to the AHL's Laval Rocket for conditioning. He played two games on the road, posting a 2.53 goals-against average and a .904 save percentage despite two losses, before enduring the long bus ride back with his Rocket teammates and getting recalled by Montreal.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis praised the goalie's mindset. "Between making excuses and striving for improvement, he chose improvement," St. Louis stated. The coach confirmed that Montembeault was "excellent" against the Panthers, where he recorded a .933 save percentage.
Team Support and Looking Ahead
Following Nick Suzuki's overtime winner—which also made franchise history—players skated directly to Montembeault to celebrate, acknowledging his recent struggles. Forward Cole Caufield emphasized the team's awareness. "He has been through a lot the past couple of weeks," Caufield said. "We're very happy to have him back... We wanted to play really good in front of him and give him the best opportunity to win. He did a hell of a job."
Despite the strong showing, Montembeault's season statistics—a 6-6-1 record, 3.52 goals-against average, and .863 save percentage—still lag behind his career-best numbers from the previous year. The Canadiens' goaltending situation remains in flux, as St. Louis announced that Jakub Dobes would start the next game against the Carolina Hurricanes on Thursday night.
In other team news, the NHL announced that Montreal forward Ivan Demidov was named the league's rookie of the month for December. The 20-year-old, selected fifth overall in 2024, led all freshmen with 14 points in 15 games and currently paces all NHL rookies with 33 points through 39 games.
