NHL News: Canadiens' Sam Montembeault makes something clear after 3-0 shutout over Oilers

The Montreal Canadiens secured a commanding 3-0 victory over Connor McDavid’s Edmonton Oilers, with goaltender Sam Montembeault stealing the spotlight. Montembeault delivered a stellar performance, making 30 saves to earn his second NHL shutout of the season.

Jake Evans and Kaiden Guhle lit up the scoreboard for the Canadiens, while Brendan Gallagher added an assist. On the other side, Calvin Pickard made 22 saves for the Edmonton Oilers but couldn’t stave off defeat.

Montembeault stood tall in net, delivering key saves that kept the Oilers’ high-powered offense at bay. His confidence and composure were critical to Montreal’s success.

“Going into the game, you know these guys can make you pay if you make a little mistake,” Montembeault told NHL.com. “I’m pretty proud of everybody’s job today. We blocked some shots—(David) Savard got a few big blocks in the third. Guhle, too, in the first, and then he came back and scored a big goal in the third.”

Goaltender Sam Montembeault #35 of the Montreal Canadiens tends the net as Zach Hyman #18 of the Edmonton Oilers skates for the puck during the first period at the Bell Centre on November 18, 2024 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. (Photo by Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images)

Montembeault praised his team’s recent improvements: “I’m just really proud of the way we played tonight. The last few games we’ve taken a really good step in the right direction defensively, and now we’ve just got to be consistent with it.”

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Oilers’ Offensive Struggles Continue

Despite their dynamic duo of Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl, the Oilers failed to generate offense. The Canadiens’ defense delivered a disciplined performance, shutting down Edmonton’s scoring chances.

“We’re obviously not scoring at the rate that we usually do now,” Oilers defenseman Mattias Ekholm admitted. “And when you don’t, and things aren’t going your way, that’s when you’ve got to go back to your fundamentals and just play it simple.”

The loss snapped a positive streak for the Oilers, but with plenty of games left in the NHL season, the team has opportunities to bounce back.