the canadiens are also struggling on the power play, ranking 24th in the nhl with a 16.7 per cent success rate. they’re even worse at penalty-killing, ranking 29th with a 73.5 per cent success rate.
there are bigger problems for the canadiens right now than their goaltending situation, so hughes can afford to remain patient on that front.
allen has handled the three-goalie situation like the classy veteran he is. he said the biggest problem is a lack of repetitions in practice and the disparity in time between starts. when montembeault had back-to-back starts against the seattle kraken (a 4-2 win) and los angeles kings (a 4-0 loss) last week, it marked only the second time this season that has happened and the first time since allen had back-to-back starts oct. 21 and oct. 23
“it’s been a pretty fair system,” allen said. “sam got the last two (starts) and he’s very deserving. he’s played great all year. the only difference is when you want to get right back in there you got to wait another game or two in general. that’s just the reality of the situation. you just got to look at it the right way.”
allen said that includes maintaining a good relationship with the other two goalies.
“i think if you look at it the wrong way … if you look at it like such a big competition it’s bad for everyone,” he said. “they’re great dudes. i have nothing against them. i think it’s how you can build better in yourself every time you’re in the net. at the end of the day, we’re all trying to make our mark. cayden’s trying to break into the league, sam has proved he’s a great goalie. i’ve been in the league for 400-plus games, so we have a lot of differences within us, but i think we each bring something to the group right now as a three-man system and that’s the way i look at it.”