The Montreal Canadiens’ attempt at a weekend sweep collapsed in a 4-3 loss to the St. Louis Blues at the Bell Centre, but the real story unfolded off the ice. Head coach Martin St-Louis made a revelation that reshapes the narrative around goaltender Samuel Montembeault.
Montembeault was scratched from Sunday’s lineup due to illness, forcing the Canadiens to rely on Jakub Dobes, who learned at 10 a.m. that he would be starting. Dobes made 14 saves on 18 shots, while Jordan Binnington stopped 23 of Montreal’s 26 attempts to secure the Blues’ victory.
After the game, St-Louis confirmed that Montembeault had been his planned starter against St. Louis before the virus struck.
“The Canadiens’ plan was to have Montembeault in goal tonight. Jakub Dobes only found out this morning that he would be starting,” St-Louis explained.
This admission carries weight: it signals that Montembeault remains the coach’s first-choice goaltender, even when sidelined by illness. The decision to send Kaapo Kahkonen back to Laval immediately after the game further underscores that Montembeault is still the trusted man in the Canadiens’ crease.