Goaltender Samuel Montembeault delivered a standout performance for the American Hockey League's Laval Rocket on Saturday, but his efforts were not enough to secure a victory. The Rocket fell 2-0 to the Cleveland Monsters, with the final goal being an empty-netter.
A Strong Performance in Net
In what was described as his best game in some time, Montembeault was a wall for much of the contest. The 29-year-old netminder turned away 27 of the 28 shots he faced at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland. Despite his .964 save percentage on the afternoon, the Rocket's offense could not solve the Monsters' goaltending, resulting in the shutout loss.
Conditioning Stint Concludes
This game marked the second and final appearance of Montembeault's conditioning assignment with Laval. The Montreal Canadiens had sent him down to the AHL on Tuesday. His first outing on Thursday was less successful, as he allowed four goals on 24 shots in a 5-2 loss, also to Cleveland.
Over the two-game stint, Montembeault finished with an 0-2-0 record, a 2.53 goals-against average, and a .904 save percentage. This was his first action in the AHL since the 2020-21 season when he played for the Syracuse Crunch, prior to being claimed off waivers by the Canadiens from the Florida Panthers.
Return to the Canadiens
Montembeault's brief AHL assignment is now complete. He is scheduled to rejoin the Canadiens on Sunday in Pittsburgh, where the team will play the second game of a back-to-back series against the Penguins. With Jacob Fowler starting in goal for Montreal on Saturday night at the Bell Centre, it is expected that Jakub Dobes will get the nod for Sunday's game.
The goalie's move to Laval came after a challenging stretch with the NHL club. This season with Montreal, Montembeault has a 5-6-1 record with a 3.65 GAA and an .857 save percentage. He had lost six of his last seven starts before the demotion, posting an .847 save percentage over that difficult period.
Impact on the Rocket
The back-to-back losses in Cleveland dropped the Laval Rocket's record to 17-10-1. The team remains in second place in the AHL's North Division. The Rocket will now head into a six-day Christmas break before returning to action next Saturday afternoon at home against the Syracuse Crunch.
While the result was not what Laval wanted, Montembeault's return to form provides a positive note for both the player and the Canadiens organization as they look to bolster their goaltending depth for the second half of the NHL season.
