Jake Allen will get his first start of the season against the Maple Leafs

The Canadian has made his decision. Jake Allen will be the reliable goaltender in the first game of the season against the Maple Leafs on Wednesday in Toronto.

In the Montreal Bowl, there is always an obsession over who the No. 1 goalie will be. Allen received the first vote, but has not yet inherited that title. Samuel Montembault could find himself in front of the net for CH in Saturday’s home opener against Connor Bedard and the Chicago Blackhawks.

Just before the team left for the Queen City, Martin St. Louis explained the organization’s choice. Eric Raymond, the goalkeeping coach, also had his say.

“We looked at all our information and evaluations and found that Jake gives us the best chance for this match,” St. Louis summed up. Monty will be part of our successes this season. And he knows it. In the first game, Jake gave us the best chance.

Statistically speaking, Allen and Montemboldt didn’t have a great camp. The No. 34 finished with a 4.02 average and an efficiency ratio of 0.854, while the No. 35 posted a 4.11 average and an efficiency ratio of 0.845.

But Allen recorded his only win of camp during a 5-4 overtime win over the Leafs in Toronto.

“The camp is the camp,” he noted. “I just want to play the best I can and be ready for the first game.”

A16^H camp

Coming out of practice Tuesday morning, the New Brunswicker showed his usual calm.

“I was looking to get better every day during camp,” Allen said. I’ve been playing in the NHL for a long time, and I’m 16 years old^H camp. As you get older, you understand better what you need and what you don’t need. “I feel good and I’m looking forward to this new season.”

“It’s always exciting on the eve of the first game of the year,” he continued. If you don’t feel stressed, you need to seek treatment. Every player in the NHL would say the same thing. “We haven’t played a meaningful game for a long time.”

St. Louis described the atmosphere well a few hours before this opening meeting against the gang of Auston Matthews and Mitch Marner.

“For a hockey player, the first game is like Christmas,” the head coach said. We can’t wait for it, here we are. “It’s a lot of excitement.”

Triple rotation

At the beginning of the season, the Habs will rely on a rare maneuver with three goalkeepers: Allen, Montembo, and Kayden Primo. Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes preferred to keep Primo in Montreal in the third goalie role rather than risk losing him on waivers.

Photo by Martin Chevalier

“It’s a new situation, but it’s new for all three of us,” Allen said. I get along well with Sam and Kayden. No goalkeeper is better than another. We’ll have to find ways to work practically, but Eric (Raymond) does a really good job of that. The challenge is to have the same repetitions in training even if there are three of us.

Since making his NHL debut with the Blues in St. Louis in 2012-13, Allen will experience for the first time with three goaltenders on the same team.