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Samuel Montembeault wanted to have a bounce-back performance.
He got one.
The Montreal Canadiens netminder made 36 saves in his team’s 5-1 victory over the Winnipeg Jets on Wednesday that boosted their point streak to five games.
It was Montembeault’s first start since Jan. 24 and first win since Jan. 17.
“[Goalie Jakub] Dobes has been playing really good for us the last couple of games so I was happy to get the start before the break,” said Montembeault, who is 10-8-2 this season.
“Obviously, this year hasn’t been as good as I would have liked, so to finish strong before the [Olympic] break like that, I’m just going to go there [on the break], nothing about hockey, just disconnect a little bit, reset, rest the body and bring on a focus for the rest of the season.”
Montembeault is taking a family vacation with his wife, parents and his brother and his girlfriend.
“It should be fun, just spend some time together under the sun,” he said.
The game was in Winnipeg but there was plenty of support for the Canadiens, with fans celebrating a goal by Oliver Kapanen in the first period. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
The Canadiens (32-17-8) are 4-0-1 during their point streak and 6-2-1 in their last nine games.
Montembeault had given up three or more goals in five of his six previous starts.
Dobes (18-5-4) had started the four games heading into the match against Winnipeg.
Head coach Martin St. Louis was glad Montembeault had a strong outing.
“He had a great game,” St. Louis said. “I think he was a big part of why we were able to get the result tonight, because early on it could have been worse.
“We could have dug ourself in a bigger hole, but I think he allowed us to get going, and once we got going and separate, allowed us to keep it that way. I thought as a team we played an excellent third, but I think it starts with some of the stuff that Monty was doing, so I’m really happy for him.”
Winnipeg Jets head coach Scott Arniel, and some fans, try to rally the team during the third period. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
Even Jets head coach Scott Arniel said Montembeault was a force between the pipes.
“Montembeault was good. He played well. He made some big stops,” Arniel said. “The chances ended up being 14-10 for us at five-on-five. That’s not counting the 6-on-5 stuff at the end.
“We had a lot of chances and we should have, could have [scored].”
Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson each had a goal and two assists. Rookie Oliver Kapanen, Lane Hutson and Phillip Danault, with an empty-netter, also scored. Noah Dobson contributed a pair of assists.
Despite getting a lot of shots against the Canadiens, the Jets fell flat on Wednesday. (John Woods/The Canadian Press)
Kyle Connor scored for the Jets (22-26-8) and Connor Hellebuyck made 22 saves. Winnipeg has lost two in a row and seven of their past 10 games.
Wednesday’s game was tied 1-1 after the first period. Anderson and Hutson scored 76 seconds apart in the second, then Gallagher and Danault sealed the win with third-period markers.
Montembeault’s teammates praised his performance.
“It’s tough when he’s facing a lot of good opportunities, but he stood up for the challenge and made some big saves when we needed it and kind of helped us get into the game a little bit more,” Hutson said.
Captain Nick Suzuki agreed the goalie bailed them out early.
“He was sharp right away, saved ourselves from getting in a big hole,” Suzuki said. “And I thought he had played a great game and it’s great when both goalies are going like that.”
The victory moved Montreal into second place in the NHL’s Atlantic Division, behind the Tampa Bay Lightning.