Alexandre Carrier spills the truth about Samuel Montembeault's exit from practice

Samuel Montembeault left Canadiens practice in pain this morning, and the timing could hardly be worse for a team already leaking goals.

Martin St-Louis confirmed his goaltender is being evaluated by the medical staff. The head coach kept it brief, saying he saw "the same thing as everyone."

What everyone saw wasn't pretty. The netminder went down awkwardly, looked bothered in his right leg and struggled to get back up.

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Then came the locker room diagnosis. Alexandre Carrier didn't sound worried after the skate.

The defenseman believes his teammate took one in the family jewels and will be fine. Anyone who has ever played the game just winced.

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Comforting? Sort of. Carrier isn't a doctor, and a fall that ugly deserves a real medical opinion before anyone in Montreal exhales.

There's history here too. The 29-year-old suffered a significant injury to that same leg 18 months ago, which is exactly why this one can't be waved off.

Jakub Dobes back in the spotlight as Predators come to town

Montembeault was lined up to start Thursday night when Nashville visits. He has appeared in two games this season without a decision.

And the alternative hasn't been convincing. Jakub Dobes carries a .857 save percentage through three appearances, with a 1-1-1 record to show for it.

Last night against Carolina, he turned aside 28 of 33 shots in a 6-4 loss on home ice.

That defeat left the Canadiens still hunting for their first home win and stretched their skid to two games. Not the opening homestand anyone pictured.

The bigger issue sits in front of the crease. The Canadiens have allowed 14 goals in three games, an average of 4.7 per night.

Nick Suzuki is doing his part with six points. But a defense this porous is like a cracked coffee mug: it doesn't matter how good the brew is if it ends up on the counter.

Michael Matheson already sits at minus-3. Noah Dobson, the club's priciest defenseman, is at minus-2.

The cap math adds an edge. Montembeault carries a $3,150,000 cap hit, while Dobes costs $965,000. If the veteran misses time, the budget option gets the keys.

Nashville arrives with its own questions. Andrew Brunette's Predators fell 5-4 beyond regulation in Toronto last night and sit 21st overall, one spot behind Montreal.

Steven Stamkos already has three goals, two of them on the power play. Juuse Saros owns a .907 save percentage, a number the Canadiens would gladly take right now.

This will be the first meeting between the two clubs this season.

Carrier might be right. If he isn't, St-Louis faces a Thursday call with no clean answer and a blue line that hasn't given either goalie much help.

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