The Montreal Canadiens have called up a familiar name this week. The team recalled goalie Jacob Fowler from the Laval Rocket on Wednesday.
According to the Montreal Gazette’s Stu Cowan, Fowler will also make his first start of the 2026-27 season tonight against the Nashville Predators.
The Canadiens lost goalie Sam Montembeault to an injury that he sustained in practice on Wednesday morning.
Cowan posted on X that Montembeault was evaluated by Montreal’s medical staff and will see team doctors tonight, after which they will have a better idea of how long he will be sidelined.
Fowler is coming in for Montembeault after he supposedly tweaked his right leg or groin while falling in the crease during practice. Cowan wrote that Montembeault tore two groin muscles during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final two seasons ago against the Washington Capitals.
Fowler hopes to reclaim backup job
The backup position to Jakub Dobes was won by Montembeault during training camp. Now that he’s down, Fowler has a chance to show what he’s made of.
Montembeault stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced during three preseason games.
He’ll go up against a Predators team that just fell 5-4 in overtime to the Toronto Maple Leafs on Tuesday night. Steven Stamkos and Nils Holgander each had 2 goals.
Other Nashville forwards are chomping at the bit to get on the scoresheet during their second game of a three-game road swing in Canada.
Down in Laval, Fowler has a 1-1 record to begin the season. He had a 1.53 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage, a positive sign for the Canadiens.
The Predators have seen just three players score all of their goals so far this season, and fortunately for Fowler, he has had success against Nashville.
Montreal’s goaltending success against Nashville
Fowler has one career start against the Predators so far. It came back in March when the Canadiens were in Nashville, Tennessee.
The 21-year-old made 23 saves on 24 shots faced to help lead the Canadiens to a 4-1 victory over the Predators. Forward Cole Caufield scored his 45th goal of the season while three other skaters had two points for Montreal.
Then there’s Dobes, who has two career starts against Nashville. He has won both games against the Predators and not allowed more than two goals.
Dobes has a 1.46 GAA and a .946 SV% against Nashville, so if Fowler were to be chased from his start tonight, then he could step in.
Goalie Juuse Saros will make the start for Nashville on the other side of the ice. Justus Annunen is currently on injured reserve, so the Predators have Matt Murray backing him up.
Saros is making his fourth straight start to begin the season. Murray has not played in an NHL game since January 8, 2024, when the Dallas Stars shut out the Minnesota Wild 4-0.
Odds are the Predators are waiting for Annunen to be healthy enough to come off IR this weekend and play in the final game of the road trip.
Follow Nick Kieser on Twitter/X: @KieserNick
Canadiens Make Decision to Start Jacob Fowler against Predators