Sam Montembeault records second career NHL shutout

Sam Montembeault (Kelly Shea, Wikimedia Commons)

Montreal Canadiens goaltender Sam Montembeault of Becancour, Quebec collected his second career National Hockey League shutout on Wednesday. He accomplished the feat in a 1-0 Canadiens win over the Toronto Maple Leafs at the Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec.

Montembeault made 48 saves overall. He made 19 saves in the first period, 13 saves in the second period and 16 saves in the third period. Mitch Marner of Markham, Ontario and Auston Matthews each led the Maple Leafs with six shots on goal. The 48 saves was a NHL record for the most saves a goaltender made in a shutout in a team’s first game of the season.

The Canadiens got the lone goal of the game at 7:48 of the first period. On the power play, Cole Caufield scored from Kirby Dach of Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta and Juraj Slafkovsky.

Montembeault’s first NHL shutout came on February 23, 2022. He made 32 saves in a 4-0 Canadiens win over the Buffalo Sabres.

The Canadiens were one of three Canadian teams to win on Wednesday. The Winnipeg Jets spanked the Edmonton Oilers 6-0, while the Calgary Flames beat the Vancouver Canucks 6-5 in overtime. The Flames had an impressive comeback. They were once down 4-1 before they came back to win. Connor Zary of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan scored the overtime winner for Calgary.

 

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