Martin St-Louis spoke of a chance for Cayden Primeau. In an odd arrangement with three goaltenders, Primeau received his first call-up in the sixth game of the year with the visiting New Jersey Devils.
• Also read: Cayden Primeau can’t slow down the Devils
• Also read: WATCH: A player knocks himself unconscious. with a check
There were two likely scenarios for the 24-year-old American goalkeeper. He was mistreated by Jack Hughes’ gang or caused a surprise with a good start.
Before the game, a former NHL goalie texted this author to denounce the decision to bet on Primeau. He felt that the young person was being sent to the slaughterhouse. We’ll protect his identity, but we’ll just slip in the information that he’s always had perfect hair and that he’s already experienced the reality of a team with three goalies.
We won’t tell you lies. We also chose the first option. On vacation the day before, the Devils waited for the CH and Primeau like a dog that just needs to hear its owner say yes in order to eat the cookie that was placed on its nose.
But ultimately there was never a bloodbath. The Devils won 5-2. Tyler Toffoli completed his hat trick in an empty net. For Primeau, the final result was not a good indicator of the quality of his performance.
In his first game since Sept. 29, a preseason game against the Toronto Maple Leafs’ B team, Primeau showed he had heart in his stomach. And strong nerves.
“I fought, that was the most important thing,” Primeau noted. Mentally it wasn’t easy because I hadn’t played for a long time. But I felt good physically. »
For one evening he looked like the goalkeeper who led the Laval Rocket to the Eastern Finals in the American League in the spring of 2022.
The best on ice
In this matchup against the Devils, Primeau was the best player on his team.
“I thought he had a good game,” St-Louis said. He gave us a chance against a turbulent offensive. He didn’t play much, so that was a challenge. »
In the first period, Primeau made a great diving jump to block a shot from Ondrej Palat on a two-on-one run. He also stopped Nico Hischier on a breakaway.
St-Louis supported its goalkeeper’s cause by winning a duel in the first duel after a goal presumably scored by Hischier. However, the Devils captain shoved the goalkeeper as he charged toward the net.
Despite the loss, Primeau kept his team in the game. He can come out with his head held high.
Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton have decided to rely on three goalkeepers at the start of the season. CH fears losing Primeau to waivers if he is released by the Rockets. Hughes never had the philosophy of losing an asset without receiving anything in return.
The Habs are not unique in the NHL. Four other teams had three goaltenders: the Hurricanes, Flyers, Sabers and Red Wings.
Barron is confident
Continuing with the concept of opportunity, we also need to talk about Justin Barron. With Kaiden Guhle and now David Savard injured, Barron has been running right to Mike Matheson for at least six weeks.
The former Colorado Avalanche scored for the second straight game. He finished the game with over 20 minutes of playing time, three shots, four hits and two blocked shots. He was confident compared to his games during camp.