dlbalr Posted April 11, 2022 Share Posted April 11, 2022 Connor - Dubois - Svechnikov Sanford - Stastny - Ehlers Barron - Lowry - Appleton Eyssimont - Toninato - Brooks Morrissey - DeMelo Schmidt - Pionk Samberg - Dillon Comrie Caufield - Suzuki - R. Pitlick Hoffman - Evans - Anderson Armia - Dvorak - Gallagher Byron - Poehling - Ylonen Edmundson - Petry Romanov - Savard Harris - Schueneman Montembeault Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 11, 2022 Author Share Posted April 11, 2022 A pretty quiet period overall for both sides. I know Winnipeg played yesterday but I was expecting a bit more desperation out of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 Montembeault is having himself a game so far. Nice goal by Armia off the strong rush attempt from Dvorak which is something I'd like to see more of from him. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habsfan89 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 I know Price and Allan are good friends and all, but I would look at trading Allan and his contract to save cap space and go with Price and Montembeault as our goaltenders. I think Montembeault has earned a spot on this team for next year. He's been a nice surprise this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 I can't agree on Montembeault being a full-time NHL backup. He has good games like this from time to time. He always has. And then he always follows those up with a bunch of clunkers and a bunch of soft goals allowed. This is his fifth professional season, he is who he is at this point and that's a serviceable third-stringer; a SV% routinely near the .900 mark isn't good enough to be a full-time NHL goalie. If they want to partner him with Primeau in Laval next year (I think that's a good idea and I don't think he's much of a risk of being claimed), that's fine but he's not a viable second option if Price goes down again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 1 minute ago, dlbalr said: I can't agree on Montembeault being a full-time NHL backup. He has good games like this from time to time. He always has. And then he always follows those up with a bunch of clunkers and a bunch of soft goals allowed. Looking at the 15 appearances in the St Louis era, he's about .919. Two clunkers (Arizona and Winnipeg) but about half his appearances are .920 or better. Not a disaster, I think -- and good enough for a rebuilding year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 30 minutes ago, tomh009 said: Looking at the 15 appearances in the St Louis era, he's about .919. Two clunkers (Arizona and Winnipeg) but about half his appearances are .920 or better. Not a disaster, I think -- and good enough for a rebuilding year. I see .903 in 14 games before this one. That's a bit better but how much stock can you put into evaluating players when there's nothing to play for? Good for him that he's playing better but it's a small sample size with the pressure off. The extended track record says he hovers around .900 and 15 regular season games without any pressure doesn't whitewash the other 283 going back to his time in junior. .900 isn't NHL-calibre, nor is a SV% that's just above that mark. Montembeault's a battler, I'll give him that but until he can fix his habit of allowing a lot of untimely bad goals (which he has shown in the QMJHL, AHL, and NHL), he's not an NHL backup. Limiting those bad goals is pretty much what separates the good from the depth guys. He doesn't do that enough even if he has performances like tonight from time to time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 I'll be honest. I am not overly upset with the loss tonight. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DON Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 9 minutes ago, Habs Fan in Edmonton said: I'll be honest. I am not overly upset with the loss tonight. I think many share same opinion. Not saying I do, but i couldnt say i dont. 3 shots for speedy Ylonen, nice. Dvorak 5pts in last 3 games. Harris has some nice shifts again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 28 minutes ago, dlbalr said: That's a bit better but how much stock can you put into evaluating players when there's nothing to play for? Good for him that he's playing better but it's a small sample size with the pressure off. Same as for Caufield, no? 😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Habs Fan in Edmonton Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 13 minutes ago, DON said: I think many share same opinion. Not saying I do, but i couldnt say i dont. 3 shots for speedy Ylonen, nice. Dvorak 5pts in last 3 games. Harris has some nice shifts again. You are waffling! LOL I was way more upset when they lost to Tampa in the final last year. Harris looks very poised back there. Smart player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 49 minutes ago, tomh009 said: Same as for Caufield, no? 😉 I think the hype actually has gotten out of hand with him and way too much stock is being put into what he has been doing lately with the hopes (if not expectation) that it'll extrapolate over a full year. The same thing applies to him as it does to Montembeault and everyone else in that while it's nice to see some good games, it shouldn't be taken as an automatic indicator of similar success when things actually matter. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hab29RETIRED Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 1 hour ago, dlbalr said: I think the hype actually has gotten out of hand with him and way too much stock is being put into what he has been doing lately with the hopes (if not expectation) that it'll extrapolate over a full year. The same thing applies to him as it does to Montembeault and everyone else in that while it's nice to see some good games, it shouldn't be taken as an automatic indicator of similar success when things actually matter. I think Caufield will have peaks and valleys in his development - like any player his age and limited experience. Having said that I feel MUCH more optimistic in him becoming a regular top line winger, than I do in Montembeault becoming a regular viable NHL backup. I don’t see Caufield’s recent success as being a Kjell Dahlin situation. On the other hand, going back with another 80’s reference, I don’t think anyone thinks Montembeault can even be what Steve Penny was at a the END of his NHL career. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 7 hours ago, hab29RETIRED said: I think Caufield will have peaks and valleys in his development - like any player his age and limited experience. Having said that I feel MUCH more optimistic in him becoming a regular top line winger, than I do in Montembeault becoming a regular viable NHL backup. I certainly agree with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 I like Monty, but do we really expect Price to put in 60 games any more? Keeping Montembault as his backup means Montembault taking 35+ games, even assuming Price doesn’t get hurt yet again. That’s inching into #1A territory. Monty may well be one of those guys who can give you 20 decent games per year. More than that, I really doubt. Of course, we’re free to argue that next season is a write-off anyway, so who cares? But I don’t think throwing young D to the wolves by kneecapping them with bad goaltending is a very good developmental strategy. We should be icing the best team we can, consistent with not handcuffing ourselves 3-4 years hence. As for Caufield, he’s a scorer, so expect some streakiness. However, I don’t rule out the possibility that, for the first time since Saku Koivu, we might actually have an elite young FW. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 Montembeault can e very athletic and (yesterday's) this game is proof he can have an outstanding game. After the game he mentioned how he has been working on not being taken out of position when going post-to-post. If he can build on this improvement, I have no issues him being Price's back up next year. I would prefer Montembeault be the "Jocelyn Thibault" after Price, to suffer through the comparisons, instead of Primeau having to bear that comparison and scrutiny Samuel Montembeault est le suivant au micro. Samuel Montembeault is up next at the mic.#GoHabsGo https://t.co/KTdlnaOAFi — Canadiens Montréal (@CanadiensMTL) April 12, 2022 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 1 hour ago, alfredoh2009 said: Montembeault can e very athletic and (yesterday's) this game is proof he can have an outstanding game. After the game he mentioned how he has been working on not being taken out of position when going post-to-post. If he can build on this improvement, I have no issues him being Price's back up next year. It's something he has been working on for years, it's not as if this is something they just discovered and can correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 23 minutes ago, dlbalr said: It's something he has been working on for years, it's not as if this is something they just discovered and can correct. that may be the case, but I am sure Martin St-Louis and the new coaching focus and management support can make a difference: "this is the way" 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 St Louis believes that it is possible for veteran NHL players to still learn and improve their hockey IQ. Maybe it's possible to improve a goalie's goalie IQ as well? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlbalr Posted April 12, 2022 Author Share Posted April 12, 2022 2 minutes ago, tomh009 said: St Louis believes that it is possible for veteran NHL players to still learn and improve their hockey IQ. Maybe it's possible to improve a goalie's goalie IQ as well? With the right goalie coach, anything's possible. (A head coach would have no impact on this.) I don't think that Eric Raymond, who was hired due to his connection with Ducharme and not for his ability to actually coach goaltenders, is the right goalie coach. He certainly hasn't been up until now. I also don't think that improved IQ is going to fix his issues either - it's a problem that many goalies have and a lot of them can never overcome. The overwhelmingly likeliest scenario is that he'll revert back to his old habits and that by the end of the week, we'll be discussing his latest clunker of a performance. He's had two good ones in a row so if his five-year professional history repeats itself, he's due for a yank-worthy outing very soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Commandant Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 I have no confidence going into a season with Price/montembault as a tandem. Maybe if price hadnt missed 90% of this season Id be better with it but not based on these results. Montembault might be an nhl backup but he will be closer to the 64th best NHL goalie than 33rd best. Thats a scary situation when you cant count on prices health (or allens health) If one of Price or Allen is traded you need to sign a more reliable backup Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tomh009 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 40 minutes ago, dlbalr said: The overwhelmingly likeliest scenario is that he'll revert back to his old habits and that by the end of the week, we'll be discussing his latest clunker of a performance. He's had two good ones in a row so if his five-year professional history repeats itself, he's due for a yank-worthy outing very soon. Five-year average, yes. February-April (15 games) has two games where he was pulled plus one significantly poor outing (5 goals on 32 shots vs Buffalo). So, the short-term average is less frequent. We'll find out soon which one holds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BCHabnut Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 16 hours ago, DON said: 3 shots for speedy Ylonen, nice. I like him. He reminds me of Lehkonen, the way he forechecks. He might be an NHLer. Poeling on the other hand... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alfredoh2009 Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 (edited) 1 hour ago, dlbalr said: With the right goalie coach, anything's possible. (A head coach would have no impact on this.) I don't think that Eric Raymond, who was hired due to his connection with Ducharme and not for his ability to actually coach goaltenders, is the right goalie coach. He certainly hasn't been up until now. I also don't think that improved IQ is going to fix his issues either - it's a problem that many goalies have and a lot of them can never overcome. The overwhelmingly likeliest scenario is that he'll revert back to his old habits and that by the end of the week, we'll be discussing his latest clunker of a performance. He's had two good ones in a row so if his five-year professional history repeats itself, he's due for a yank-worthy outing very soon. Montembeault is the perfect backup for "the tank" next season. Price will probably get injured at some point and another waiver-claim goalie will backup Montembeault for a dozen games. Isn't that what is "the best" for the team? Edited April 12, 2022 by alfredoh2009 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Chicoutimi Cucumber Posted April 12, 2022 Share Posted April 12, 2022 42 minutes ago, alfredoh2009 said: Montembeault is the perfect backup for "the tank" next season. Price will probably get injured at some point and another waiver-claim goalie will backup Montembeault for a dozen games. Isn't that what is "the best" for the team? I don't think saddling young D with bad goaltending is good for their confidence or development. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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