As anticipation builds ahead of a pivotal Game 4 at the Bell Centre, the Montreal Canadiens and their fans find themselves anxiously monitoring the health of starting goaltender Samuel Montembeault. In a press conference just moments ago, head coach Martin St-Louis offered a glimmer of hope, confirming that Montembeault remains under evaluation but has not yet been ruled out for the crucial matchup against the Washington Capitals.

The absence of a recall for Cayden Primeau further fuels optimism that the injury may not be as severe as initially feared. With the Canadiens trailing 2-1 in the series, Montembeault’s potential return could provide a significant boost to a team hungry for redemption.

While uncertainty lingers, the resilience and determination of both player and coach shine through, setting the stage for what promises to be a dramatic and high-stakes showdown on Sunday night. All eyes are now on Montembeault’s status and the team’s response as they prepare to fight for their playoff lives in front of a passionate home crowd.

Photo of Martin St Louis and Samuel Montembeault Photo credit: NHL

Head coach of the Montreal Canadiens, Martin St-Louis, was at a press conference just moments ago. He was immediately questioned about Samuel Montembeault’s injury, and he gave an answer.

He mentioned that Montembeault is still being evaluated, but more importantly, he said that his number-one goalie is still an option for tomorrow night.

This explains why Cayden Primeau has not been recalled by the Canadiens.

Martin St-Louis announces that Samuel Montembeault is still an option for tomorrow night

We love it!

If the injury were that serious, they would already be able to confirm that Samuel Montembeault will not be in uniform tomorrow night (for the Canadiens).

And they would have already recalled Cayden Primeau.

So we can be optimistic.

“Martin St. Louis says that Samuel Montembeault is still being evaluated.”
Eric Engels, Sportsnet

“He has not yet ruled him out for Game 4, as the evaluation is ongoing.”
Eric Engels, Sportsnet

If Montembeault is unable to play tomorrow, Martin St-Louis announced (unsurprisingly) that young Jakub Dobes will get the start.

More details to follow.

Along the same lines of what we mentioned earlier, let’s recall this:

So we still have many reasons to be optimistic about Samuel’s health.

At 28 years old, the 6-foot-3, 218-pound goalie has a record of 0-1-1 in these 2025 playoffs, with a goals-against average of 2.76 and a save percentage of 0.908.

He’s very solid!

Game 4 is Sunday night, live from the Bell Centre, with puck drop at 6:30. It’s a crucial game for the Canadiens as they trail the series 2-1.