Jacob Fowler picked a heck of a night to deliver the best performance of his young NHL career.
The rookie turned aside a career-high 46 shots and shut out the St. Louis Blues as the Montreal Canadiens skated away with a 2-0 road win Tuesday. Montreal needed every bit of Fowler’s poise because the Blues spent most of the night pressing, especially in a third period that turned into a shot barrage.
St. Louis finished with a 46-20 edge in shots, and the third period was even more lopsided at 24-3. None of it cracked Fowler, who kept stacking stops while the Canadiens kept finding ways to survive in their own zone.
The win pushed Montreal to a three-game road winning streak. The Habs are also riding a five-game points streak at 4-0-1 and have gone 6-1-1 over their last eight.
Zack Bolduc and Florian Xhekaj supplied the offense, while Mike Matheson picked up two assists. For Xhekaj, the goal carried a little extra weight: it was his first NHL goal, and it took video review to sort it out.
Montreal struck first 8:37 into the second period when Matheson threaded a terrific pass to Bolduc, who buried a one-timer from the front edge of the circle. The goal came three seconds after a Canadiens power play ended, and Montreal officially finished 0-for-3 with the man advantage. The power play remains a problem, now sitting at 4-for-35 in 12 games.
Xhekaj made it 2-0 at 2:17 of the third period on a tip-in of a Matheson shot. Officials initially had to review the play to make sure the puck wasn’t redirected with a high stick, but the goal stood and gave Xhekaj the milestone in his ninth career NHL game.
That was plenty for Fowler, who kept the Blues off the board even as the pressure mounted. Since the 1955-56 season, only 25 Montreal goalies have made more than 46 saves in a regular-season game.
St. Louis never let up, but it also never solved him. Philip Broberg led the Blues with six shots on goal, Jake Neighbours had five, and Neighbours came closest to breaking through when he hit the post 13:20 into the first period.
Jordan Binnington stopped 18 of 20 shots for St. Louis. The Blues dropped their second straight and were blanked for the second game in a row after Carolina beat them 4-0 on Saturday.
Jim Montgomery also went with the empty net unusually early, pulling Binnington with 6:53 left in the third period. That extra attacker helped fuel the Blues’ late push and their 24-shot third period, but Fowler and a string of Montreal clears held the line until the final horn.
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Blues Make A Telling Lineup Reset As Home Stand Pressure Builds
The Blues are getting a familiar forward back at a time when their home stand is already asking for a sharper response. Alexey Toropchenko is back in the lineup after being sidelined by a shoulder injury suffered in the season opener, giving St. Louis another option up front as it tries to settle in against the Canadiens and keep its early-season rotation from getting any thinner.
The changes do not stop there, either. St. Louis is also tweaking its defensive look, with Brandon Carlo and Philip Broberg set to be paired together for the first time, while Jordan Binnington gets the start in goal. With several players still out injured, the Blues are leaning into a reset that may say plenty about how they view this stretch, even if the bigger answer will have to wait until the puck drops. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Suddenly Have A Cam Fowler Problem They Can't Ignore
Cam Fowler was supposed to settle things down on the back end for the Blues after signing a three-year extension, but the early returns have made his role a real question for a team trying to stay organized defensively. The veteran defenseman has not looked like the same player who was expected to help stabilize the blue line, and his on-ice impact has slipped enough that the conversation in St. Louis has shifted from fitting him in to figuring out how much they can afford to keep leaning on him.
The timing makes it even trickier because the Blues are already looking at ways to reinforce the defense, whether through a trade or by getting injured players back into the mix. Logan Maillouxs expected return from an upper-body injury only adds another layer to the decision-making, since the blue line may soon need a reshuffle. For a team that wants more certainty on defense, Fowlers place in the lineup has become one of the bigger issues to sort out. [Read more 🡒]
Blues Playoff Push May Depend On One Goalie Question
Joel Hofers fast start has given the Blues a clear early answer in net, at least for now. After his strong opening performance, he has moved into the starters chair and given St. Louis a chance to settle its most important position before the season gets away from it. For a team trying to stay in the playoff mix, that kind of stability matters, especially with a veteran like Jordan Binnington available to steady things behind him.
Binningtons presence still gives the Blues a safety net few teams can match. The Stanley Cup winner is expected to serve as dependable support and help manage the workload over the long haul, which could be a major factor as the season grinds on. The real question for St. Louis is how long this arrangement holds and how well the Blues can keep both goalies in the right rhythm when the games start carrying more weight. [Read more 🡒]