It was the bobblehead evening with the picture of Samuel Montembeault and that's good, he had a big game.
• Also read: The Canadian got away scot-free because it was the poor Coyotes
“Monty” made 36 saves and couldn’t do anything about the Coyotes’ two goals in this 4-2 win. On the first goal his defense let him down and on the second a blind shot from Nick Bjugstad deflected off Kaiden Guhle's stick.
Laughing, the 27-year-old goalkeeper was relieved about the win.
“I wanted a good match, I didn’t want people throwing them in the trash on the way out.”
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Fantastic
No joke, Montembeault had an excellent game and was particularly good in the second period and the end of the game while the Coyotes tried to tie the game and attacked with an extra player.
“He made so many big saves tonight. We were dominated in shots and he was fantastic, he saved our butts a couple of times,” Jordan Harris said.
Alex Newhook, who got an assist on Joel Armia's first goal of the game, added a report on Montembeault.
“He had a good game. We trust him very much. He's been great all season. Tonight he stood up for us. He was a big part of our victory. When we’re not at our best, he finds a way to be there when it matters most.”
The main player was relaxed and smiling after the game and admitted he felt comfortable in front of his net.
“I felt good, I had legs and was able to judge moves well, I was a little ahead of where the puck was going to go.”
A path to victory
The Canadian ended a streak of five straight defeats, and it didn't happen gracefully. All goals were scored through a counterattack or a build-up play. The team was unable to flash the red light while moving into Coyotes territory.
“We weren't at our best at the beginning, but we found a way to win. “We didn’t play our best game until the third game, but we found a way to win,” Alex Newhook explained, which was wrong.
“We didn’t put enough pucks behind us,” he continued. In the first period of the game we were sluggish in the neutral zone. When there is a lack of implementation, it is difficult to maintain the pressure. We could have done better, but a win is a win.”
Martin St-Louis had the same vision of things.
“It would be naive to think that we are capable of playing good games for 82 games. We're going to play bad games, we have to find a way [de gagner] in these games,” he argued, adding that the execution did not take place.
Relief
The good news is that Jordan Harris had a goal and an assist and the young man had a big smile on his face in the locker room.
“It's a good start, even if it wasn't perfect. It feels good to contribute offensively and see the puck reach the net.”
The win also took a lot of pressure off the team.
“It's a win that feels good,” admitted Tanner Pearson, who scored the winning goal. It's not the kind of sequence that's pleasant to experience. We have a tough schedule ahead of us, so it's a relief to get this win now. Hopefully there will be a domino effect.”
“We came back from a three-game trip and are heading out for four games. We really wanted to win this game,” Montembeault concluded.