It wasn’t supposed to be a goalie story. Until it becomes one, without it really being one. But let’s not get lost.
Cayden Primeau had a, let’s say it politely, ordinary evening. Five goals allowed, all on the glove side, leave a bitter taste in a goalie’s mouth. His fixed gaze in the locker room said it all. He hadn’t looked good and he knew it.
The American can nevertheless hardly be the only one to blame in the clear defeat of his club by a score of 5-1 at the hands of the Florida Panthers on Thursday. His teammates, as proof, were quick to defend his performance.
“He played very good hockey for us this season,” recalled Brendan Gallagher. There isn’t much to say. It will be correct. »
“The rotation with three goalkeepers is not easy,” added Johnathan Kovacevic. I have all the confidence in the world in him. He’s a solid guy. »
The main person concerned was, unsurprisingly, more critical. The repeated goals from the same side “played in his head a bit”, he admitted. “It’s not ideal. […] It’s unacceptable, but I’m going to learn from it and just move on. »
A goalkeeper who is not in his right mood happens, even to the best. So yes, Primeau will recover.
All models for calculating expected goals say the same thing: at five against five, Montreal goalkeepers have saved, game after game, from half to one goal per 60 minutes. When we remember that this team has won eight of its ten victories by the margin of a single goal, we realize that its position in the standings could be even worse.
In terms of attack, the skaters do not do their goalkeepers any favors. Here they are 27th in the league in goals scored per game, even 28th at five-on-five. The numerical advantage has not hit the target on its last 23 occasions, in more than 40 minutes of work with at least one more man.
On Thursday, the Panthers gave the Habs two entire power plays in the first half of the first period alone. History has taught us: it was not successful.
The worst part was that the Canadian looked pretty good after 40 minutes, despite falling behind 1-0. The spectacle was not exciting – really not, in fact – but for a club which had returned during the night from a long journey, and against an opponent better endowed in terms of talent, there was nothing embarrassing .
“We played our style, and even if it didn’t show on the scoreboard, we were probably the best team on the ice,” said Brendan Gallagher.
Martin St-Louis saw the same thing. “We played a good game,” he said. From the start, there were no passengers. We were there. The effort was there. […] It’s sad to lose, but I’m proud of my team as well. »
Lucid, however, he conceded that his troops had not been “opportunistic”. “It made a bit of a difference. We could have entered the third period with the lead. »
That didn’t happen. Again. In these circumstances, goalkeepers have no choice but to be perfect.
Cayden Primeau’s colleagues also stumbled earlier this season. Jake Allen has been generous to the Los Angeles Kings, Boston Bruins and Tampa Bay Lightning. Samuel Montembeault was not phenomenal against the Minnesota Wild and, more recently, against the St. Louis Blues. So it happens.
These matches, however, had one common element: CH, as a group, was not very good collectively. So, the fact that the goalkeeper was not phenomenal did not change much in the fate of the team.
When it’s tight, the margin for error for Montreal goalkeepers no longer exists. The elastic, already stretched as tight as possible, breaks.
None of the Habs’ goalkeepers belong to the elite of their profession. However, the three have an obligation to be flawless, otherwise their team will probably not win. It is a heavy burden to bear. And it’s also a bit unfair.
