Who should be the starting goaltender for the Canadiens come playoff time?

Usually, a team with their eyes set on the postseason is pretty comfortable with at least one of their goaltenders heading into the playoffs. After all, it’s hard to be good enough to make the playoffs without at least one goalie stepping up and being reliable. This season’s Montreal Canadiens, however, appear to be an exception.

Despite currently having a 75.8% chance of making the postseason, according to MoneyPuck, the Canadiens have gotten subpar goaltending all year. Their 3.24 goals allowed per game ranks 24th in the league. Among Eastern Conference teams, only the Toronto Maple Leafs have allowed more goals than them this season. Their two most relied upon goalies, Sam Montembeault and Jakub Dobes, each sport a sub-.900 save percentage. 21-year-old Jacob Fowler has the best numbers among Montreal’s goalies, albeit in only a 12-game sample size.

On Friday’s episode of Daily Faceoff LIVE, hosts Tyler Yaremchuk and former NHL goaltender Carter Hutton discussed how the Canadiens should approach their goaltending situation heading into the playoffs.

Tyler Yaremchuk: As we head down the stretch and get closer to the playoffs, how do you want to see the Habs handle their crease?

Carter Hutton: It’s concerning, because you’ve got to get in, too. That’s the other factor, this is a team that is knocking at the door of someone catching them and falling behind. In the last seven games Sam Montembeault hasn’t played. It’s either been Dobes or it’s been Fowler. It is concerning in the sense of overexposing Fowler as a young guy, but he’s been the guy that can be consistent. I think Jakub Dobes plays a good game. He chases the game a bit at times, which is concerning for me how aggressive he is. Come playoff time there’s going to be a lot more traffic, a lot more tips, rebounds, odd bounces, so you want a guy who can be within the posts and be a little more composed.

Getting in is topic number one, you’ve got to get in the playoffs as the Montreal Canadiens, it doesn’t matter how you do it. Then maybe it’s Dobes or Montembeault if you think he’s ready, but I think you’re ready to pull the parachute and tell Jacob Fowler to get in there and roll with it.

You can catch the full discussion and the rest of Friday’s episode here…