Canadiens Build Competition After Early Season Struggles

The Montreal Canadiens are increasing internal competition across the roster after an uneven opening stretch, with coach Martin St. Louis and general manager Kent Hughes using lineup decisions to challenge players. The team began the season 2-2-1 and is seeking more consistency from goaltending, defense and special teams.

According to Sportsnet, goaltender Jacob Fowler earned a larger role after Samuel Montembeault suffered an injury and Fowler delivered a 30-save shutout through regulation and overtime against the Detroit Red Wings. He also stopped all six shootout attempts, becoming the first Canadiens goalie to record a shutout across regulation, overtime and a shootout in one game.

St. Louis said Fowler's performance validated the decision to give him the opportunity, while the coach continued pushing the rest of the roster to raise its level of play.

"He proved to us we made a good decision," said Martin St. Louis, Canadiens head coach.

The coach added that Fowler handled pressure situations effectively during the win over Detroit, including the extended shootout. The Canadiens have also been using competition at other positions to improve performance.

"I found he played an excellent game, gave us a chance. And in the shootout, it’s not easy. It was long before we scored and gave him an opportunity to close it out, and he did his job," said Martin St. Louis, Canadiens head coach.

Sportsnet reported that St. Louis emphasized puck management and stronger individual battles after Montreal allowed mistakes to turn a lead into a large deficit against Pittsburgh and later struggled against Carolina. Those messages were reinforced during practices and video sessions.

"I think the compete level’s gotta be the bare minimum for everybody. What they can do under pressure, some guys have calmness to it. It’s all different what they can do.

But for me, the compete level has got to be the bare minimum that you have to bring. And I feel like we’re at our best when the compete level is high. And I feel individually, it’s the same," said Martin St.

Louis, Canadiens head coach.

Adam Engstrom also benefited from the increased competition, according to Awful Winning Habit, after earning a roster opportunity and contributing strong possession numbers in his first two games. The Canadiens traded Jayden Struble after he struggled to secure a regular role on the blue line.

Forward Zachary Bolduc emerged as one of Montreal's strongest performers through five games, with three goals and a shootout winner against Detroit, while Josh Anderson also improved after moving into a larger role. Awful Winning Habit reported that Kirby Dach and Juraj Slafkovsky faced challenges during the opening stretch.

According to Dose, Montreal's main statistical concerns include five-on-five scoring, power-play efficiency and defensive results. The Canadiens had eight five-on-five goals, one power-play goal and allowed 19 goals through their first five games.

Montreal's next tests include back-to-back games against Buffalo and Washington, while the return of injured players including Samuel Montembeault, Oliver Kapanen and Ivan Demidov is expected to add further competition for roster spots.