With two back-to-backs this week and Samuel Montembeault still struggling to find his game, the Montreal Canadiens have decided to call up Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket. Given the fact that Jakub Dobes played last night, chances are Fowler won’t have long to wait before playing in his 11th NHL game; he could face the Ottawa Senators tonight.
In his first stint with the Habs back in December, the 21-year-old put together a 4-4-2 record with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage, on top of getting his first shutout against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
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In the AHL, he has played 27 games this year, winning 19, losing 7 in regulation and 1 in overtime, and recording 3 shutouts. While the plan was initially for Fowler to spend the whole season in the AHL, the circumstances in Montreal have forced the Canadiens to call him up midseason, when both Montembeault and Jakub Dobes were struggling.
It remains to be seen how long this call-up will last, but since the trade deadline has come and gone, there is no more roster size limit, as long as the team is under the salary cap. In other words, he could be kept with the Habs indefinitely.
This move from the Habs’ front office is not surprising, but it’s not good news for Montembeault. The Becancour native is working on fixing his game with Marco Marciano, but the Habs’ patience is clearly wearing thin. Given the importance of every single point in a playoff race, they just couldn’t afford to wait anymore, and to be honest, he’s been given plenty of opportunities to bounce back throughout the season, but he hasn’t been able to.
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This does not mean that the Habs are getting ready to waive him; there is no roster size limit, but it may well further indicate that the Canadiens will have to make a goaltending decision sooner than expected. The team has confirmed that all three goaltenders are healthy right now.
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