Montembeault missed the last two playoff games after sustaining a groin tear, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports Friday.
Given this update, Montembeault was likely facing an extended stint on the shelf even if the Habs had managed to advance to the next round. During the regular season, the 28-year-old backstop went 31-24-7 with a career-best 2.82 GAA, four shutouts and a .901 save percentage. Montembeault will likely see a similar heavy usage in 2025-26 as the Canadiens' No. 1 netminder.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Unavailable for Game 5
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Montembeault (lower body) won't be available for Wednesday's Game 5 on the road against Washington, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Montembeault sustained a lower-body injury in Game 3, and he'll be unavailable for a second consecutive matchup Wednesday. Jakub Dobes has been named Montreal's starter for Wednesday's game, while Montembeault isn't with the team in Washington, so Cayden Primeau will dress as the No. 2 netminder.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Questionable for Game 5
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Montembeault (lower body) remains day-to-day in the lead up to Wednesday's Game 5 clash with Washington, Stu Cowan of the Montreal Gazette reports.
Montembeault put up decent numbers in his three postseason appearances, registering a 2.76 GAA and a .908 save percentage despite failing to record a victory. Barring a surprise recovery, Montembeault seems unlikely to guard the cage for Game 5, which would leave the crease open for Jakub Dobes, who started Game 4.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Considered day-to-day
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Montembeault (lower body) is day-to-day and likely won't be an option for Sunday's home matchup versus Washington in Game 4, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Montembeault didn't participate in Sunday's morning skate after leaving Friday's 6-3 Game 3 victory over the Capitals in the second period. Montreal recalled Cayden Primeau from AHL Laval on Sunday, and Primeau will probably be the backup netminder behind Jakub Dobes in Game 4.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Still being evaluated
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Montembeault (lower body) is still being evaluated ahead of Game 4 against Washington on Sunday, Dan Rosen of NHL.com reports.
After leaving Friday's 6-3 win over the Capitals in the second period, Montembeault's availability for Sunday's home matchup in Game 4 is unclear. Jakub Dobes won Game 3 in relief, stopping seven of eight shots, and could get his first NHL playoff start if Montembeault is unavailable for Sunday's game. Montreal could recall Cayden Primeau from AHL Laval before Game 4 as insurance.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Won't return to Game 3
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Montembeault (lower body) won't return to Friday's Game 3 versus the Capitals.
The Canadiens did not officially provide a reason for Montembeault's absence, but Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports Montembeault looked bothered by a left leg issue prior to his exit. Jakub Dobes took over in goal, and Montembeault won't factor in the result after leaving when the game was tied at 2-2. He allowed two goals on 13 shots prior to the injury. He should be considered day-to-day ahead of Sunday's Game 4.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Starting Game 3
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Montembeault will start at home in Friday's Game 3 versus the Capitals, Arpon Basu of The Athletic reports.
Montembeault has lost the first two games of the series, but he hasn't played poorly. He's allowed five goals on 63 shots, good for a .921 save percentage, but the Capitals have been just a bit better. The Canadiens are committed to Montembeault as their starter this postseason, so don't expect Jakub Dobes to see much action.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Makes 29 saves in Game 2 loss
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Montembeault stopped 29 of 31 shots in Wednesday's 3-1 loss to the Capitals in Game 2. The third goal was an empty-netter with two seconds left in the third period.
Montembeault has lost his first two playoff appearances, though that has been more due to the lack of offensive support than to the 28-year-old struggling between the posts. He's stopped 58 of the 63 shots he's faced in the series, and he'll hope to get back to winning ways when the series returns to Montreal for Game 3 on Friday.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: In goal for Game 2
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Montembeault will start Wednesday's Game 2 on the road versus the Capitals, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Montembeault put in a good effort, taking a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 1 after the Canadiens pulled off a third-period comeback. The 28-year-old looks to have complete control of the crease for Montreal as it tries to pull off a big upset in the first round.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Falls to Caps in OT
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Montembeault made 29 saves in Monday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Capitals in Game 1 of their first-round series.
Washington took a 2-0 lead midway through the second period, but Montembeault stood tall in the third as Montreal rallied to tie it up -- only for Alex Ovechkin to tap home the winner in OT. After a regular season in which Montembeault nearly doubled his career-best win total to 31 and recorded four of his five career shutouts, the 28-year-old netminder will need to come up big if the Habs are going to even the series Wednesday.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Set for playoff debut
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Montembeault will guard the road goal in Game 1 versus Washington on Monday, according to Tom Gulitti of NHL.com.
Montembeault will make his first NHL playoff start after posting a 31-24-7 record with four shutouts, a 2.82 GAA and a .901 save percentage across 62 regular-season appearances in 2024-25. He allowed four goals on 35 shots in a 4-2 loss to the Capitals on Dec. 7. Washington finished second in the league with 3.49 goals per game in the 2024-25 regular season.
Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Locks up playoff spot with win
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Montembeault made 27 saves in Wednesday's 4-2 win over the Hurricanes.
Facing a Carolina team that was resting a number of key skaters, Montembeault was more than up to the task of clinching a playoff spot for Montreal in its final regular-season game. The 28-year-old will head into a first-round playoff matchup against the Capitals with plenty of momentum -- over his last eight starts, Montembeault has gone 6-1-1 with a 2.11 GAA and .922 save percentage.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: In goal Wednesday
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Montembeault will get the starting nod at home versus Carolina on Wednesday, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Montembeault has dropped two straight games, and he posted a 0-1-1 record and 3.37 GAA during that time. The 28-year-old backstop has already reached the 30-win mark this year but will need to secure his team at least a point if the Habs are going to lock themselves into the final wild-card spot.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Fails to clinch playoff spot Monday
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Montembeault turned aside 22 shots in regulation and overtime and one of two shootout attempts in Monday's 4-3 loss to Chicago.
The Habs grabbed a 2-0 lead in the first period and seemed well on their way to clinching the final wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, but the game slipped away from Montreal. Montembeault has just one regulation loss in his last seven starts, going 5-1-1 with a 2.12 GAA and a .921 save percentage. One more point in the standings in the Canadiens' regular-season finale Wednesday against the Hurricanes -- or a loss by the Blue Jackets in either of their final two games -- is all Montreal needs to secure a playoff berth.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Starting against Chicago
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Montembeault will serve as the starting netminder for Monday's home game against Chicago, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Montembeault's five-game winning streak came to an end Friday against Ottawa, as he allowed four goals on 33 shots (.879 save percentage). However, he should have a more favorable matchup Monday, as the Blackhawks are averaging just 2.71 goals per game this season, which is the sixth-worst mark in the NHL.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Beaten four times Friday
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Montembeault stopped 28 of 32 shots in Friday's 5-2 loss to the Senators. The fifth goal was an empty-netter with 2:16 left in the third period.
Montembeault was coming off five straight wins before this matchup, and it was also the first time he had allowed at least four goals since March 25. One bad outing shouldn't erase what the 28-year-old netminder has done in recent weeks, though. He's gone 5-3-2 with a 2.81 GAA and a .900 save percentage over his past 10 appearances.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Starting against Ottawa
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Montembeault will serve as the starting goaltender for Friday's road game against Ottawa, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Montembeault has picked up wins in each of his last five starts, posting a 1.60 GAA and .939 save percentage during that time. Over his three starts against Ottawa this season, he's gone 3-0-0 with a 2.00 GAA and .922 save percentage.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Excellent in win vs. Detroit
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Montembeault stopped 35 of 36 shots in Tuesday's 4-1 win over the Red Wings.
Montembeault was impressive between the pipes and delivered one of his best performances of the campaign en route to earning a fifth straight win. He's given up two or fewer goals in each of those wins, stopping 124 of 132 shots while notching a 1.60 GAA and a .939 save percentage.
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Canadiens' Sam Montembeault: Starting against Detroit
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Montembeault will be between the home pipes Tuesday versus the Red Wings, Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports.
Montembeault has elevated his game at a crucial point in the season -- he's conceded two goals or less during his four-game winning streak. On the season, the 28-year-old netminder is sporting a 29-23-6 record, 2.85 GAA and .900 save percentage across 58 appearances. The Red Wings have won back-to-back games and are coming off a 2-1 win over Florida on Sunday.
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