The Montreal Canadiens have returned rookie netminder Jacob Fowler to the AHL, finally putting an end to the three-goalie rotation which also included Jakub Dobes and Samuel Montembeault.
To get an idea of how Fowler played during his 10-game audition, we’re going to evaluate his results alongside those of Dobes and Montembeault in a few different situations.
Jacob Fowler Statistics at 5v5
The first thing we’ll review is Fowler’s play at 5v5.
As we can see in the table embedded below, Fowler ended up with the best saver percentage of any Canadiens goaltender, however, Dobes led the charge when it comes to goals saved above average (GSAA), and high-danger save percentage (HD Save%).
Admittedly, using GSAA in this particular situation isn’t working with an even field as Dobes and Montembeault have featured in 22 and 19 games, respectively.
If we filter the results to goals saved above average per 60 minutes of ice time, Fowler finished his audition with 0.31 GSAA/60, while Dobes is at 0.25 GSAA/60, and Montembeault at -0.5 GSAA/60.
All things considered, it’s fair to say Fowler produced the best results of the Canadiens goaltenders at 5v5 this season.
Penalty Kill Statistics
If we focus on Fowler’s penalty kill numbers, it once again becomes clear that he was far and away Montreal’s best netminder.
His high-danger saving percentage, in particular, was leaps and bounds ahead of those produced by Dobes and Montembeault.
Goaltender Statistics Since December 11
Seeing as Fowler was only with the team since December 11, we’re going filter the results one more time to ensure we get a clearer picture of his results versus how his counterparts performed in the same time frame.
As you can see below, both Dobes and Montembeault produced a stronger save percentage, though it should be noted they played fewer games than Fowler. Montembeault played in four games, while Dobes was given five starts.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
Two things are clear when evaluating Fowler’s results in the NHL.
The first is that he came into a high-pressure situation with very little professional experience, and performed admirably.
It’s very difficult to prepare to face elite NHL players as young goaltender, even more so when you’re dealing with a three-goalie rotation.
The second is that Fowler solidified the team’s playoff odds with his presence in Montreal, as both Dobes and Montembeault improved their play significantly with the rookie netminder in the mix.
Internal competition isn’t always a positive. It can often lead to locker room rifts or frustrated veterans, but in this particular case, it lit a fire under two goaltenders who were in the need of a little motivation, and it gave us a good insight as to Fowler’s encouraging potential when he eventually makes his permanent ascension to the NHL.
All Montreal Canadiens goaltender statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Natural Stat Trick.
