Last night, we watched an excellent first period from the Montreal Canadiens, an exciting second period ... and a dismal third. But one player’s effort which was never in doubt was that of Samuel Montembeault.
I try not to be too dogmatic in how I think about goaltending. I have strong opinions about the position that stem from my coaching and talking to a lot of great goalie minds, but I don’t think that there’s just one way to play the position.
That being said, Montembeault’s form looks ugly! Almost every time he drops, it’s an active release; he never drops straight down into the butterfly but always moves slightly to his right or left while doing so.