'It's great to be back' in Canadiens' net, Jacob Fowler says
As the platitudes continue pouring in for Jacob Fowler after his Wednesday night performance at Ottawa, Canadiens teammate Juraj Slafkovsky realizes the rookie goaltender potentially saved him from an embarrassing moment.
With the Canadiens nursing a one-goal lead and Senators goalie Linus Ullmark removed for an extra skater, Slafkovsky somehow missed the empty net.
“I think (Fowler) was great,”
said Friday after practice in Brossard. “He looked calm and made some huge saves there at the end. I could have scored there into the empty net. I missed, obviously. He saved me.”
Fowler, the new darling of Canadiens fans,
upon his return to the NHL after being recalled that morning from the AHL’s Laval Rocket. He stopped the final 23 shots he faced and was particularly brilliant over the last 1:44, making six saves.
Despite Fowler’s heroics,
will get the starting assignment Saturday, when the Canadiens entertain the San Jose Sharks at the Bell Centre
(7 p.m., City, SNE, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM).
While head coach Martin St. Louis didn’t announce his starter for Sunday’s home game against the Anaheim Ducks, presumably he’ll return to Fowler. The inconsistent
appears to be the odd man out for the time being.
, the Canadiens’ leading scorer who missed Wednesday’s game with the flu, practised on Friday, appeared healthy and should return to the lineup against the Sharks. Alexandre Texier was back among the extra forwards, with Joe Veleno and Patrik Laine, while Jayden Struble was the seventh defenceman.
Fowler’s play against Ottawa might have been more surprising considering he missed three weeks of Laval’s season with a flu virus. He returned to the Rocket last Friday, making 35 saves — 20 in the third period — in a 4-2 victory. Fowler doesn’t know where he caught the virus, but admitted he has never been that sick before.
Fowler spent six weeks with the Canadiens
this season, when Montembeault and Dobes were struggling. He went 4-4-2 with a 2.62 goals-against average and a .902 save percentage. He also
shut out Pittsburgh on Dec. 20
, blocking 31 shots. But Fowler also lost his last two starts, against Detroit and at Buffalo, before being returned to Laval.
Fowler, 21, should be better prepared for this stint and has arrived at a time when the Canadiens have seemingly rediscovered their game again after a pair of rough outings last week at San Jose and Anaheim.
“This is part of the ups and downs of the pro hockey lifestyle,” he said on Friday. “I’m just trying to stay even-keeled and enjoy every second of it. I feel like I’m the same kid with the same head on my shoulders. It’s nice to have gone through it, but I feel like I’m a part of this group. I feel like I’m just rejoining the team, not this crazy call-up out of the blue. The guys are welcoming. It’s great to be back with this team.”
While it appears Fowler will remain with the Canadiens for the remainder of the season, he’s not taking anything for granted.
“I’m just trying to be the best version of me every day,” he said. “You’re always chasing perfection, knowing you’re not going to get it. That’s what keeps it exciting. There’s always something to keep striving for.”
Unlike Dobes’ unorthodox style or the unpredictable Montembeault, Fowler always appears to be in position. He’s seemingly always calm and doesn’t show much emotion — although he did pump his fist after defeating Ottawa, knowing how chaotic those final few seconds were.
“I have a lot of trust in this group,” he said. “A lot of trust in being here every day. They allow me to be calm and trust every guy out there. Maybe sometimes with the boys I’ll get a little fired up and be a little energetic. There’s so many things going on in the game. The last thing guys want to see is me being out of control. Sometimes maybe I’m a little too calm, but I’m just trying to give them a chance. I play with confidence behind them. I want to give them the same. Anything I can do to help them.”
