Montembeault day to day, could miss Game 4 for Canadiens against Capitals

MONTREAL -- Sam Montembeault could miss Game 4 of the Eastern Conference First Round for the Montreal Canadiens against the Washington Capitals at Bell Centre on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET; CBC, TVAS, SN, TBS, truTV, MNMT, MAX).

The Canadiens’ No. 1 goalie is day to day and did not participate in the morning skate. He left a 6-3 win in Game 3 on Friday with 8:21 remaining in the second period after having a conversation with Jim Ramsay, their director of sports medicine and performance, during a television timeout. Montembeault, who appeared to be favoring his left leg, allowed two goals on 13 shots and was replaced by Jakub Dobes, who stopped seven of eight.

Montreal had emergency backup goalie Patrick Chevrefils in uniform shortly after Montembeault left the game.

Washington leads 2-1 in the best-of-seven series.

The Canadiens did not practice Saturday, and coach Martin St. Louis did not have an update on Montembeault.

“I have no idea,” St. Louis said. “He’s being evaluated today.”

Montembeault went 31-24-7 with a 2.82 goals-against average, a .902 save percentage and four shutouts in an NHL career-high 62 games (60 starts) during the regular season. He is 0-2 with a 2.78 GAA and a .908 save percentage thus far in the series.

If he is unable to play, Dobes will get the start. The 23-year-old rookie was 7-4-3 with a 2.74 GAA, a .909 save percentage and one shutout in 16 games (15 starts).

Dobes had a 34-save shutout in his NHL debut, a 4-0 win against the Florida Panthers on Dec. 28, the day after he was recalled from Laval of the American Hockey League. He won his first five starts and backed up Montembeault through the end of the season.

“He gets thrown in against the defending Stanley Cup champs, gets a shutout,” Canadiens defenseman Kaiden Guhle said. “I think you look at his first three or four games, I think they’re all some of the top teams in the League and he played well. So, I have all the confidence in the world in Dobes. He has all the confidence in himself, which I think you need as a young goalie coming into the League.

“I think he believes that there’s no moment too big for him. I think he wants this moment. I think he’s ready for anything that was thrown at him. Obviously I don’t know what’s really going on with ‘Monty,’ but if Dobes is in the net tomorrow I think all the boys have confidence in him.”

The Canadiens have not made a roster move. They recalled goalie Cayden Primeau from Laval to back up Dobes if Montembeault is unable to play.

Dobes allowed two goals on 72 shots in his last two regular-season starts on April 6 and 12 at the Nashville Predators and Toronto Maple Leafs (1-0-1), three points that helped Montreal clinch the second wild card in the East.

“(Dobes) came in and he had a great start and then he had a tougher stretch for the young goalie, but he finished strong,” St. Louis said. “The last two games he played, when you think about it, we needed those points. He played those games and he performed well.

“We know that he’s capable of doing that, so it’s important to play well in front of him so he doesn’t have to steal a game. We know that he’s capable of doing that, too, so I think he’ll be ready no matter what and we’ll try to help him.”