"Something you dream about": Primeau loving ovation from Canadiens fans
Montreal Canadiens goaltender Cayden Primeau was ecstatic after last night’s 3-0 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.
The 2023-24 season has been an interesting one for Primeau, who was in a three-goalie rotation before the Canadiens chose to move Jake Allen to the New Jersey Devils on trade deadline day. Now, it’s just him and Sam Montembeault. Based on his performance last night, that may be a good thing.
Primeau was nothing short of fantastic last night, kicking aside all of the 41 shots he faced for his second straight shutout at the Bell Centre. The first came on February 13 in a win over the Anaheim Ducks.
He made some huge saves throughout the night in this one, which had Canadiens fans chanting his name. He couldn’t hide his excitement about it when speaking with reporters postgame.
“It just means so much, all the support,” Primeau said. “There’s truly no words to describe it.
“It’s something you dream about.”
PRIMEAU PERFECTION!
Cayden Primeau (@cpreems29) backstops the @CanadiensMTL to victory with his second @pepsi shutout of the season! š« pic.twitter.com/QccBZYKZ9J
ā NHL (@NHL) March 13, 2024
Canadiens management showed plenty of confidence in Primeau by trading Allen. Clearly, they trust him to handle backup duties despite having only 36 games of experience at the NHL level. If last night’s performance is any indicator, they were right with their decision.
“Nothing changes for me,” Primeau said regarding his new solo backup role. “I’m just trying to go into every game the same way, trying to be consistent. But definitely excited for the opportunity.”
With a 25-30-10 record, there hasn’t been a ton for the Canadiens to cheer about this season. That said, last night’s big performance from the young goaltender gave reason to celebrate in the dressing room.
“Once I got in, everyone was going crazy,” said a grinning Primeau. “It just means so much. They were just as much a part of that win as I was.”
With the performance, Primeau’s goals against average (GAA) has dropped to 2.83 on the season, while his save percentage (SV%) is up to .910. He’ll look to continue improving upon those numbers in his next start, which could come tomorrow night against the Boston Bruins.
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