After three games, Jacob Fowler has a 1-1-1 record with a 3.32 GAA and 0.886 save percentage. While those numbers are not necessarily great, it's a 3 game sample so we can't read into it too much. Here are some of the good and bad Fowler has shown thus far manning the Montreal Canadiens net.
Positioning
In the three games he has played, I really liked how Fowler positions himself in the net. He’s square to the shooter and does not lose his net easily. He seems calm and confident in his movements, and rarely seems to overextend himself. For the most part, he’s positionally sound for most shots and is not flopping around in the net like we’ve seen from Montembeault and Dobeš at times. Also, the goals that have gone in are shots that are near impossible to save, so he can’t be faulted for giving up weak goals
Last Night's Gaff
Last night vs the Flyers, Fowler played the puck behind the net and he seemed unsure what to do, which led to a giveaway and a gift of a goal for the Flyers. While yes, it was a bad goal to give up, it’s only his third game with the team.
Also, after the game he seemed composed about the situation and said how all he can do is learn from it and move on. I like this type of attitude, and it's true. Once he gets more reps in, he will familiarize himself with that play and communicate more with the dmen.
Overall Attitude
Like I said previously, he seems confident, calm and composed in his net. In that, I find he is a little bit like Carey Price. However one thing I’ve noticed is it looks like he’s also having fun out there. Often, he's smiling during stoppages and is generally enjoying himself out there. This is good, as it calms the entire team down when they see their goalie feeling positive and confident.
All in all, I find he’s playing fairly well. It does not help that two of the Habs top 2 defensemen are currently injured in Matheson and Guhle. Despite this, they are still in the playoff picture holding down a wild card spot, but once those two return to the lineup, I think the Habs will be able to get back on track and allow less goals per game.
With Montembeault on a conditioning stint in Laval, the next belongs to Dobeš and Fowler for the time being. It will be interesting to see how both these young goalies respond to the pressure currently facing the team.
The Habs next game comes against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday at 7PM. I expect Dobeš to get the start in net, but who knows!