Determined instances name for determined measures.
It’s a cliché, however that’s the easiest way to explain the Canadiens’ determination to name up 21-year-old goalie Jacob Fowler from the AHL’s Laval Rocket, which was introduced shortly after Tuesday night time’s 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on the Bell Centre. The Canadiens additionally referred to as up ahead Owen Beck and defenceman Adam Engstrom.
Whereas Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis insisted after follow Wednesday that it wasn’t a determined transfer, it was positively made in a short time. It wasn’t as determined or as fast a transfer as when former Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin fired goalie coach Stéphane Waite throughout the second intermission of a recreation throughout the 2020-21 season when Carey Value was struggling.
The Canadiens wouldn’t make Fowler out there to the media after follow Wednesday, however Beck mentioned he realized he was getting referred to as up with about 10 minutes left in Tuesday’s recreation.
“I used to be watching the sport and I appeared down and my cellphone was ringing,” Beck mentioned. “Wasn’t anticipating that. I used to be type of shocked.”
It was most likely the identical factor for Fowler.
“We every acquired our particular person calls from Pascal (Vincent, the Rocket head coach) or administration or whoever it could be,” Beck mentioned. “After that, staff companies or logistics acquired us all on group chat and talked about all of us needed to be right here for 11 o’clock in the present day for follow and made certain we knew the whole lot going ahead for the highway journey.”
The Canadiens will play the Penguins Thursday in Pittsburgh
(7 p.m., TSN, RDS2)
and the Rangers Saturday in New York
(7 p.m., SNE, Metropolis, TVA Sports activities)
earlier than returning house to play the Edmonton Oilers Sunday on the Bell Centre
(7 p.m., TSN, RDS2).
The Canadiens have good cause to be determined with their goaltending state of affairs. Jakub Dobes has a 3.15 goals-against common and an .887 save proportion after permitting three targets on 14 photographs within the first interval Tuesday earlier than being changed by Samuel Montembeault, who allowed three targets on 13 photographs. Montembeault allowed a objective on the primary shot he confronted for the fifth time this season and now has a 3.65 GAA and a .857 save proportion.
Sure, there have been breakdowns within the defensive zone, however typically you want your goalie to bail you out and the Canadiens haven’t acquired practically sufficient saves from their goalies this season.
Jacob Fowler in objective at #Habs follow this morning in Brossard after getting referred to as up final night time from AHL’s Laval Rocket. pic.twitter.com/lLXtzzExUJ
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) December 10, 2025
Enter Fowler, who has a 10-5-0 report, a 2.09 GAA and a .919 save proportion, together with three shutouts, in 15 video games as an AHL rookie with Laval.
St. Louis mentioned he didn’t know when Fowler would make his NHL debut, but it surely is unnecessary to name the younger goalie up — particularly so out of the blue and with the Rocket taking part in the Toronto Marlies Wednesday night time in Laval — if the Canadiens aren’t going to play him.
It appears to be like just like the Canadiens imagine Fowler is able to make his NHL debut — presumably as early as Thursday in Pittsburgh. However on Wednesday they didn’t imagine he was prepared to fulfill the media, which appeared unusual.
The Canadiens want a goalie to start out making some saves for them and it’s price giving Fowler a shot. Patrick Roy was 20 when the Canadiens referred to as him up and he led them to the Stanley Cup as a rookie in 1986. The Canadiens aren’t a Stanley Cup contender this season, however not making the playoffs can be an enormous step backward of their rebuilding course of after they made it final season.
The Canadiens went into Tuesday’s recreation two factors out of first place within the Atlantic Division with an opportunity to maneuver forward of the Lightning. With the loss, the Canadiens fell to fourth place within the division, three factors behind the first-place Lightning and out of a playoff spot. After Tuesday’s video games solely six factors separated first place and seventh place within the division and it’s shocking the Canadiens aren’t additional behind when you think about they’ve the second-worst save proportion within the NHL at .870, barely forward of the Edmonton Oilers at .869.
If the goaltending doesn’t enhance — together with defensive play — the Canadiens are going to fall out of the playoff race. Possibly Fowler would be the reply and possibly he gained’t, but it surely’s price discovering out now if he’s prepared for the NHL. If he’s not, the Canadiens can ship him again to Laval for extra seasoning and begin trying to find one other resolution to their goaltending issues.
St. Louis mentioned his greatest concern along with his staff now could be the quantity of early targets given up, both to start out a recreation or a interval. The Canadiens gamers gained’t throw their goaltenders beneath the bus, but it surely needs to be demoralizing when the opposite staff scores so typically on their first, second or third photographs.
“I really feel like we give a variety of targets early in intervals and I wouldn’t say it’s all on the goalies,” St. Louis mentioned. “I feel all people’s acquired to be higher. However our collective recreation in entrance of our goalies ought to be in a greater place to assist them out.”
Possibly Fowler will help out the gamers in entrance of him?
I feel we’re about to seek out out.
scowan@postmedia.com
x.com/StuCowan1
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