The Montreal Canadiens beat the Buffalo Sabres in an epic Game 7 showdown to advance to the Eastern Conference Final. That victory would not have been possible without the brilliant performance of netminder Jakub Dobes.
Dobes stopped 37 shots in a fantastic effort to keep the Canadiens afloat. While it’s true that Montreal blew a 2-0 lead in the game, it was Dobes who kept his team in the game throughout the third period and overtime.
The 24-year-old simply made one more save than his counterpart, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, made at the other end.
But that wasn’t necessarily the case after the Game 6 disaster at home. Last Saturday night, Dobes and the Habs had an opportunity to close out the series in front of their fans. What the Canadiens faithful got was an 8-3 shellacking and an absolute implosion.
Coach Martin St. Louis gave Dobes the hook after he allowed six goals and 33 shots. The performance wasn’t awful, but it just wasn’t nearly good enough to end the series. That bad outing fueled speculation about Montreal’s willingness to go back to their de facto starting goaltender for Game 7.
But the Canadiens didn’t really have much of a choice. It was either Dobes rebounding or turning to 22-year-old Jacob Fowler for a crucial Game 7.
St. Louis made the obvious choice in rolling with Dobes. And the outcome was a date with the Carolina Hurricanes starting on Thursday night.
Canadiens Riding Dobes Till the Wheels Fall Off
In essence, the Canadiens are riding Dobes until the wheels fall off this postseason. That approach has been somewhat of a concerning trend, as the rookie netminder had never really started that many games in his career.
Last season, Dobes got his feet wet in the NHL, appearing in 16 games. It was this season that the fifth-round pick from the 2020 NHL Draft saw regular action. He started 42 games, pretty much taking the starting job away from Samuel Montembeault.
Dobes, nonetheless, had never really started 14 games in a row in his career. Questions emerged about the workload finally catching up to him.
If that has been the case, the Canadiens’ starter found another gear on Monday night. He settled in nicely and outdueled the Sabres’ goalie at the other end.
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Can Dobes Replicate Success against Hurricanes?
The Canadiens will have a quick turnaround. They’ll have a couple of days before facing the Hurricanes, and an equally hot goalie in Frederik Andersen.
The situation here begs the question: Can Dobes replicate his success against the Hurricanes?
It’s worth noting that the Habs have faced two tough opponents this postseason. If there’s a club that’s battle-tested enough to pose a significant threat to the Hurricanes, it’s Montreal.
That said, the Canadiens’ success will hinge on Dobes living up to his clutch performances. Carolina will be well rested and looking to prey on the Habs’ back-to-back seven-game series.
But then again, a long layoff may work against the Hurricanes. Fans won’t know the outcome until both teams hit the ice at the Lenovo Center on Thursday night for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Canadiens Dobes Silences Critics with Game 7 Brilliance