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Dans les coulisses

October successes: we can thank our guardians

After nine games, the Montreal Canadiens have a record of five wins, two losses and two overtime setbacks.

I find it hard to believe that many people would have predicted such a good October… And on that score, we have the goalies to thank.

You have to thank the goalkeepers, because they’ve been excellent since the start of the season. As Simon-Olivier Lorange pointed out in a recent article, the Habs rank first in the NHL for goals scored at 5-on-5 this season…

When you see that Monty’s efficiency rate is .985 and Jake Allen’s is .963 at 5-on-5, you realize just how important they are to the club’s success so far :

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In the club’s last three games, Jake Allen and Samuel Montembeault have been excellent.

They’ve been so good that both deserve to play tomorrow night in Arizona. Yes, even if Cayden Primeau is still with the team and needs to play to improve…

It’s hard for Martin St-Louis to make a decision at a time like this because he wants to please his boys. There’s a reason we keep saying that the ménage à trois has to stop for everyone’s sake, after all.

It’s a problem, but it’s a beautiful problem.

The Canadiens have high expectations of Samuel Montembeault, and right now, Jake Allen’s performance is complicating things a bit. The veteran has been playing like a true number-one goalie since the start of the season, and he deserves a chance to shine even more brightly.

That said, as long as the CH’s two “experienced” goalies continue to perform in succession, the club has a chance of winning. I may not be talking about the playoffs…

But it’s a lot easier for players to play with confidence when they know their goalie has what it takes to stop the puck. And in the end, that’s the most important thing, because that’s what you want from both your goalies.

In Brief

– He deserves it.

– Whoa!

– Good point.

– Wow, quite simply.

– Of note:

– Oops.