What Happened
The Montreal Canadiens will change their lineup for Tuesday's game against the San Jose Sharks despite winning their previous outing. Defenceman Adam Engstrom draws in for David Reinbacher, and Jakub Dobes returns to the net in place of Jacob Fowler. Head coach Martin St. Louis told reporters the defensive switch is a rotation to keep both players getting ice time and is not a reflection on Reinbacher's play.
Key Details
- Engstrom, 22, has no points and averages 11 minutes of ice time over four games this season.
- Reinbacher, 21, played 9:09 in his season debut, a 4-3 win over Buffalo on Saturday.
- Fowler made 23 saves in that win and has a .900 save percentage and 2.16 GAA.
- Dobes has an .842 save percentage and 4.63 GAA in four appearances this season.
- San Jose enters Tuesday after a 3-1 loss to Toronto on Monday.
What It Means
St. Louis is managing workloads on defence while giving Dobes a chance to work through a difficult start. Fowler has been the steadier of the two goaltenders early, so the start against San Jose tests whether Dobes can close the gap. The rotation on the blue line suggests Montreal wants Engstrom to stay involved rather than sit for long stretches.
What's Next
Both goaltenders' usage over the coming games will show how the crease is being split. Engstrom's ice time against San Jose will indicate whether the rotation continues.