Canadiens’ Samuel Montembeault leaves Game 3, replaced by Jakub Dobes

Uh oh.

With the second period ticking down in Game 3 of the Stanley Cup playoffs, Montreal Canadiens goaltender Samuel Montembeault was forced to leave the game with an apparent injury.

A replay minutes after he left the game showed Montembeault potentially tweak something in his left leg. He was replaced by Jakub Dobes to finish off the second period, signalling the first playoff action of the Czech rookie’s NHL career.

Montembeault had made 11 saves on 13 shots in what was a 2-2 game at the time of his injury.

Alexandre Carrier and Nick Suzuki were the goal-scorers for the Canadiens, while the Washington Capitals have received goals from Connor McMichael and Jakob Chychrun. Cole Caufield would give the Canadiens a 3-2 lead with nine seconds to go in the second period, giving the Habs their second lead of the game.

Montembeault entered the game 0-2 in the playoffs, but had been a big part of Montreal’s play early on. He entered Game 3 with a .921 save percentage, with most of his underlying analytics being near the top.

The Bécancour, Quebec native went 31-24-7 with four shutouts in the best season of his NHL career. He also served as Canada’s third goalie at the 4 Nations Face-Off, putting him on the radar for the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Montembeault is 80-84-28 over his NHL career with five shutouts in 206 games over seven seasons.