Canadiens’ Montembeault, Laine to remain out in Game 5; Carrier a game-time decision

The Montreal Canadiens will remain without a pair of key contributors for a pivotal Game 5 versus the Washington Capitals as both goaltender Samuel Montembeault and forward Patrik Laine remain sidelined, reports Sportsnet’s Eric Engels.

Montembeault exited Game 3 midway through the second period after suffering an apparent lower-body injury. Backup goaltender Jakub Dobes entered in place of Montembeault and helped steer the Canadiens to a 6-3 victory. Dobes then got the start in Game 4, turning aside 21 of 24 shots before the Canadiens ultimately fell short in a 5-2 final. The Capitals currently lead the series by a 3-1 margin.

Per Engels, Dobes is slated to start Game 5, while earlier this week the club also recalled netminder Cayden Primeau from the AHL affiliated Laval Rocket. For Dobes, the 23-year-old Czech-born goaltender saw 16 showings with the Canadiens this season in which he went 7-4-3 with a .909 save percentage and 2.74 goals-against average, highlighted by a 34-save shutout performance versus the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers in his NHL debut.

Beyond Montembeault, the Canadiens also remain without Laine, who has missed the past two games due to a lower-body ailment. On the season, the 27-year-old Finnish-born forward notched 20 goals and 13 assists through 52 games, of which 19 of his points came on the powerplay. This postseason, Laine has tallied one assist, six shots, and two penalty minutes through two games.

Entering Game 5 on Wednesday, Canadiens defenseman Alexandre Carrier is considered a game-time decision after exiting Game 4 early in the third period after sustaining an undisclosed injury. Acquired from the Nashville Predators in mid-December, the 28-year-old Quebec City native saw 51 regular-season appearances with the Canadiens in which he scored twice and added 16 assists for 18 points while averaging nearly 21 minutes of time on ice per game.