In advance of what many expected would be his season debut Thursday, goaltender Samuel Montembeault left practice today with an injury. In response, Montreal has recalled netminder Jacob Fowler from Laval.
Fowler’s recall was announced after 5 PM ET, meaning it won’t count on Montreal’s books until Thursday. Meanwhile, to make room for Fowler on the active roster, Ivan Demidov was placed on injured reserve retroactive to Tuesday.
Montembeault’s injury occurred when trying to stop a rebound. He struggled getting to his feet but was able to skate off under his own power, though he wasn’t putting much weight on his right leg. Head coach Martin St. Louis noted after practice that the veteran was still being evaluated.
With Jakub Dobes struggling in two straight starts and Nashville (a non-conference opponent) in town Thursday, it felt like this was a logical spot to start Montembeault. Instead, that might fall to Fowler.
The youngster was Montreal’s backup down the stretch and in the playoffs last season and fared pretty well. Fowler posted a 2.43 GAA with a .908 SV% in 17 outings for the Habs in 2025-26, numbers that were well above league average.
However, between a good showing from Montembeault in training camp and a desire to have Fowler playing, he was sent to the Rocket to start this season. He has made both starts for them so far, turning aside 52 of 55 shots from Syracuse in a back-to-back split.
It was expected that Fowler would get some regular run in Laval for a little while, at least, to start the season. Instead, with Montembeault’s injury, his likely first appearance with the Habs appears set to come a lot earlier than expected.