Canadiens’ Fowler takes another step towards his destiny in win

You knew Jacob Fowler was locked in from the second the puck dropped at Canadian Tire Centre, through to the final minute of play when he pulled out four consecutive stops to help his Montreal Canadiens plunge a spike right through the wheel of the Ottawa Senators’ playoff push.

In a word, his performance was revealing.

This wasn’t your regular, run-of-the-mill Wednesday in Kanata. This was the second half of a back-to-back for the Canadiens, up against a rested Senators team playing to extend hope created off a 10-game sequence that saw them only lose once in regulation. Four points were on the line in both directions; lose and the strong hold on a playoff spot weakens, win and the chasm between them and the Senators widens, while the gap between them and the teams they’re chasing at the top of the Atlantic Division narrows. And Martin St. Louis put the puck in Fowler’s glove for it.

The young goaltender squeezed it and held on tight, making 31 saves.

“I felt pretty calm,” the 21-year-old told reporters after the 3-2 Canadiens win, though he didn’t need to say it.

We could see it, the Canadiens could see it, and the Senators won’t be able to unsee it.

Everyone had better get used to it, though, because this kid is well on his way to becoming the man in Montreal.

For now, he gives the Canadiens and starter Jakub Dobes what they need — what Samuel Montembeault hasn’t been able to deliver with any consistency this season.

Insurance, for one. But also confidence.

“It does have a bit of a calming effect to see him make those big saves but act like it’s just another routine save,” said Alex Newhook, who banked one off Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark to create the rebound Ivan Demidov capitalized on for the winning goal.

That came with 7:20 to go in a game that saw momentum ping-pong at full velocity.

The Senators seized it right from the start with two quick strikes Fowler thwarted, and then they surrendered it when Dylan Cozens bowled Fowler over and sent the Canadiens to the power play.

Juraj Slafkovsky’s 24th goal of the season gave the visitors a lift, but then the Senators got three consecutive power plays and two goals from Drake Batherson to take a lead to first intermission.

They knocked the tired Canadiens on their heels, but Fowler kept them alive long enough to bounce back to their toes.

Alex Texier, who was replacing Cole Caufield (sick) on Montreal’s top line after being scratched from the last four games, scored with less than three minutes to go in the second period, and then the Canadiens kept the Senators in their own zone for the first 13 minutes of the most important period of their season.

When the pressure shifted, when it mounted squarely on Fowler’s shoulders, he came up with his best saves of the night — on Giroux with exactly one minute remaining, then on Cozens in the slot, then again on Giroux, and once more on Cozens — and did exactly what was expected of him.

Think about what it says about Fowler that this would be expected of him in his 11th NHL game.

“I think he’s a confident guy, confident player, and I think you can tell when he’s in the net,” St. Louis told Sportsnet’s Shawn Mackenzie prior to warmup.

His answer wasn’t just based on Fowler’s 10-game sample prior to Wednesday’s start, it was rooted in watching Fowler rise through the ranks of the American development system, which St. Louis had been a part of through his entire post-playing, pre-NHL-coaching career.

He saw Fowler emerge out of Florida, saw him establish himself as a top prospect with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms, watched him dominate both at Boston College and with Team USA at the world junior championships, and he’s kept close tabs on his shining professional comportment in the American Hockey League since late last season.

Fowler had been there since Jan. 16, following two losses with the Canadiens that — coupled with the brief resurgence of Montembeault — made the timing ripe for him to return to Laval.

But Fowler wasn’t surprised when he was sent to Ottawa Tuesday and told he’d be starting against the Senators Wednesday.

And St. Louis was ready to give him that opportunity.

“I think it’s where we’re at today,” he said earlier in the day. “The result is important, and I think it’s the best decision for the game tonight.”

After Dobes stopped 17 of 18 shots in a win over the Toronto Maple Leafs Tuesday at the Bell Centre, after Montembeault didn’t stop enough of them in a 6-5 loss to the Anaheim Ducks last Thursday, it was a logical one.

But Fowler made it a no-brainer because these are the situations he’s built for.

“We know what he’s capable of,” said Newhook. “Some of those saves he made late in the game there, it’s a big reason why we won the game tonight. A lot of credit to him, and it’s great to see.”

We’re going to see more and more of it from here to the end of the season, and this is just the beginning for Fowler.