Sam Montembeault found out last Sunday he’d don the red and white as one of Canada’s goalies at the NHL 4 Nations Face-Off tournament in February.
The Montreal Canadiens netminder has only justified that selection since.
Montembeault stopped 29 shots and shut out the Nashville Predators in Montreal’s 3-0 win on Thursday, a day after Canada’s team was officially announced. Two days earlier, he made 30 saves in a 2-1 victory over the New York Islanders.
“Couldn’t be better,” he said after Thursday’s game. “To come back and have those two good games right away … it’s still two months away, so I just want to focus one game at a time, but those last two games are really good.”
Patrik Laine scored for the second time in as many games as a Canadien. On the shelf with a knee injury to start the season, the Finnish winger watched from the press box as Montembeault backstopped the Canadiens.
In two games sharing …