Save Percentages Are Down Across The NHL, Historically Low In Montreal

Did you know that as of Friday night, 75 goalies have appeared in an NHL game, yet only 40 have a save percentage (SV%) of .900 or better?

Only 53.3% of current NHL goalies have a respectable SV%, as defined by analytics since a netminder must stop at least 90% of the shots they face to find success in the league.

Matt Larikin from DailyFaceoff recently highlighted that the league’s overall SV% dipped under .900 for the first time in 29 years.

Some of the most prominent names on the sub .900 SV% list include Sergei Bobrovsky, Jeremy Swayman, Linus Ullmark, Stuart Skinner, and Alexandar Georgiev.

In Montreal, Sam Montembeault and Cayden Primeau are having rough starts to their respective seasons. Montembeault ranks 45th in the league with a .893 SV%, and Primeau ranks 69th with a .845 SV%.

Collectively, the duo have combined for a .875 SV%. Last year, with Jake Allen in the mix, the Canadiens had a .902 SV%, which was an improvement from the 2022-23 campaign, when the team finished with a .895 SV% with the same three goalies.

Since Carey Price’s last full season, 2020-21, here’s a breakdown of Montreal’s save percentages:

• 2021-22: six goalies .894 SV%

• 2022-23: three goalies .895 SV%

• 2023-24: three goalies .902 SV%

Interestingly, during Price’s entire 15-season career with the Canadiens, the team never had a campaign with a sub .900 SV%, coming close in his final season when they went to the Stanley Cup Final, finishing at .901. It was the lowest SV% for Montreal since 2000, edging out a .903 campaign in 2000-01.

Moreover, while Price played full seasons with the Canadiens, the team averaged a .919 SV% from 2008 to 2021. Unfortunately, even heroes lose opportunities to go out on top, which happened to Price over his final five games in 2021-22, where he compiled a career-worst .878 SV%.

Meanwhile, once the franchise wins leader hung up his skates, Montreal netminders averaged just a .891 SV%, marking the roughest stretch in recent memory.

Now, people will say it’s natural since the Canadiens are rebuilding. But their goalies, Montembeault and Primeau, have yet to show progress, only regression lately, which explains why the team is on pace for its worst SV% season since 1985-86, when Patrick Roy, Doug Soetaert, and Steve Penney combined for a .873 SV%.

Related: Canadiens Price Among First Ballot Hall Of Fame Candidates In 2025

Even though Montembeault and Primeau have had their fair share of struggles making saves, they are not alone. Several Vezina-caliber goalies have the same problems, which explains why the overall SV% averages are down for the first time in decades.

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