Canadiens Daily
Habs Daily: Montembeault Sets Record, Caufield, UFA Signing
Here are the Montreal Canadiens news items, highlights, and stories you may have missed on Wednesday.
Montreal Canadiens News
Goaltender Samuel Montembeault started the season on the right foot. Not only did not allow any goals from the Toronto Maple Leafs, the first time in 227 that they were blanked, he also set an NHL record by saving 48-shots in his season-opening shutout. Some reports indicate he made only 47 saves, but it doesn’t really matter, as the Leafs held a huge advantage in high-danger chances, to the tune of 15-3 at 5v5.
Welcome to the Montem-show! 😤 #NHLFaceOff
Sam Montembeault was remarkable, stopping all 47 shots sent his way for the first @pepsi shutout of the 2024-25 season! pic.twitter.com/Z8TLsDTZk0
— NHL (@NHL) October 10, 2024
Beyond Montembeault’s excellent play, sniper Cole Caufield stole the show for the Canadiens by scoring the lone goal of the game, and the first while wearing his new jersey number. Caufield switched to No.13 this offseason to honour the late Johnny Gaudreau, and was unable to contain his emotions as he pointed to the sky following the powerplay goal. It was definitely one of those fantastic NHL moments. [Canadiens Instant Recap: Caufield Honours Johnny Gaudreau]
The Habs made a roster move on Wednesday, signing Gustav Lindstrom to a one-year deal, and then proceeding to place him on waivers. The goal is to add a little depth to the Laval Rocket’s blueline, which only currently features two right-handed defencemen. This is the second time in as many seasons that Lindstrom has joined the Canadiens organization. [Canadiens Sign Depth Defenceman, Place On Waivers]
The team also adopted a new attitude at practice, thanks to assistant coach Stephane Robidas.
Vibes are good at Canadiens skate
“Why not us? Why not now?” pic.twitter.com/5LQSdMS3p0
— Mark Masters (@markhmasters) October 9, 2024
There were a lot of scouts in attendance at the Bell Centre yesterday, though we should note it was essentially their back-to-school day, which means we shouldn’t take their presence with a grain of salt.
Lots of scouts in Bell Centre press box for season opener tonight between #Habs and Leafs #HabsIO pic.twitter.com/x9yl1wvHRD
— Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) October 9, 2024
National Hockey Now Network
Fortunately for the Pittsburgh Penguins, there are 81 more games to go. However, they did little with the first of 82, failing to convert a few early scoring chances before succumbing to back checking gaffes, soft goals, and silly mistakes. The New York Rangers humbled the Penguins 6-0 at PPG Paints Arena Wednesday night. [Pittsburgh Penguins]
Over the summer, New Jersey Hockey Now ranked the top 25 New Jersey Devils prospects, which features future NHL stars. While the NHL season is in its infancy, some Devils prospects have been in action for weeks. [New Jersey Devils]
Former GM Brian MacLellan added former Los Angeles Kings blueliner Matt Roy to the Washington Capitals as a free agent, while also striking a deal with the Ottawa Senators for Jakob Chychrun. [Washington Capitals]