BROSSARD, Que. — Montreal goalie Samuel Montembeault left practice early Wednesday with an injury, adding to the Canadiens’ defensive concerns.
Montembeault, who began this season as backup to Jakub Dobes, appeared to injure his right leg or right groin during one of the final drills at CN Sports Complex. He headed to the dressing room, giving way to emergency backup goaltender Nicolas Ruccia.
Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis did not provide an update on Montembeault’s condition, simply saying that he was continuing to be evaluated.
The 29-year-old from Bécancour, Que., did not play in the Canadiens’ first three games of the season while Dobes posted a 1-1-1 record with a 4.43 goals-against average and an .857 save percentage.
Montembeault was expected to make his first start of the season Thursday night when the Canadiens host the Nashville Predators. Now they’ll have to wait until at least Thursday morning to find out whether that scenario is still possible.
The Canadiens ranked 30th in the NHL with an average of 4.67 goals allowed heading into Wednesday’s action.
Dobes is far from solely responsible for the Canadiens’ defensive struggles. The team allowed four goals in an ugly second period en route to a 6-5 overtime loss to the Pittsburgh Penguins on Saturday. The Canadiens then committed several turnovers and lost too many battles, according to St. Louis, in a 6-4 loss to the Carolina Hurricanes on Tuesday.
The Canadiens had nevertheless emphasized their defensive play during training camp, and St. Louis did not appear amused when asked about the team’s progress.
“We are where we are, and we’re going to keep trying to get better,” he said.
Defenceman Alexandre Carrier was a little more receptive when asked to discuss the team’s progress defensively, although he did not immediately want to put a number on it.
“I don’t know if I can give you an exact number. But honestly, it’s going in the right direction. Personally, I feel much more comfortable with the adjustments we’ve made, whether it’s on the penalty kill or at even strength,” Carrier said. “It’s really important, because to win a championship, you have to play well defensively every game.
“Obviously, we can still improve, but it’s going in the right direction. Let’s say we’re at 60 per cent.”
