Perhaps the most surprising Montreal Canadiens player performance in the first quarter of the season has belonged to Samuel Montembeault. The 26-year-old Québécois netminder has appeared in eight games so far, sporting a 5-2-1 record after his stellar performance gave the Habs a shootout win over Chicago last Friday.
He ranks in the top-15 of the league for the two traditional goaltending stats. His 2.48 Goals Against Average is currently good for 13th, and his .924 Save Percentage has him in the top-10 at ninth. These stats are typically viewed as team numbers, however, as stronger defensive teams will typically yield lower GAA and higher Save Percentages.