- Samuel Montembeault left Canadiens practice Wednesday after hurting his right leg
- Martin St. Louis had no update on his goalie after practice
- Read below to watch the video of the injury and what it means for Montreal’s crease
The Canadiens might have a problem in goal.
Samuel Montembeault left practice in Brossard on Wednesday after hurting his right leg during a drill. The 29-year-old twisted awkwardly while trying to stop a rebound and went down to the ice in pain.
Watch the video of the injury:
Montembeault stayed down for a few moments before skating off and heading straight to the locker room. He put almost no weight on the leg on his way off the ice.
Martin St. Louis was asked about his goalie after practice and didn’t have much to share. The Habs coach said he saw “the same thing everyone else did” and that Montembeault was still being evaluated by the medical staff.
Catch the Canadiens’ media availability from practice:
Alexandre Carrier sounded more relaxed about it. The defenseman told reporters he thinks Montembeault tweaked his groin and will be fine, though that’s a teammate’s guess, not a diagnosis.
A groin issue wouldn’t be new for him. Montembeault suffered a double groin strain in that same right leg during Game 3 of Montreal’s first-round series against the Capitals in April 2025:
It couldn’t come at a worse time for Montreal. Montembeault hasn’t played yet this season, with Jakub Dobes starting all three games. Dobes has given up five goals in each of Montreal’s last two losses, including Tuesday’s home opener against Carolina.
That had Montembeault lined up as the likely starter Thursday when the Predators visit the Bell Centre.
If he can’t go, Jacob Fowler is the obvious call-up from AHL Laval. The 2023 third-round pick went 9-6-2 with a 2.43 GAA, a .908 save percentage and one shutout in 17 NHL games last season.
Last season was a rough one for Montembeault. He lost the starting job to Dobes and finished 10-8-4 with a 3.43 GAA and an .872 save percentage in 25 games. His name also came up in trade talk over the summer.
Montreal should have a clearer picture on Montembeault’s leg before puck drop against Nashville.
