MONTREAL — For five minutes and eight seconds, Jakub Dobes stood at his stall getting peppered by questions after facing a 44-shot barrage from the Carolina Hurricanes in a 4-0 loss that put the Montreal Canadiens’ season on the brink on Wednesday.
He responded to them with the calm of a monk.
“Is this too much? Are you under siege too much?” asked one reporter.
Dobes smirked and said, “No, I can play a good amount of hockey. I can definitely play the next round. Hopefully we get there. I will go home and try to get some sleep and recover tomorrow and be ready for Game 5.”
We’ve come a long way from tears in New Jersey.
Think back to Nov. 6, when Dobes broke down in front of a handful of reporters at Prudential Center after his first loss in seven starts. It’s impossible to ignore the contrast to Wednesday’s post-game availability. The goaltender was so volatile after that relatively meaningless early-season game but so zen after the most important one to date, and it revealed the extent to which he’s found a way to better channel his emotions.
It was Dobes’ 25th birthday Wednesday, and he got the opposite of what he wished for.
But his reaction to that confirmed just how transformative the experiences of his rookie season have been.
Dobes might have wanted a mulligan in the immediate aftermath of his remarks going viral after that 4-3 loss to the Devils.
He also knows he’d not be where he is today without having made them.
Late in the season, after an extended pause from media, Dobes won a game in Tampa Bay and spoke with great perspective about his trials and tribulations from earlier.
“I’m still a rookie, so every time I learn something it’s part of the process,” Dobes said March 31 after stopping 36 of 37 Lightning shots in his first game since earning NHL first-star-of-the-week honours for saving 100 of 104 shots. “I know I’m going to make mistakes and I’m going to learn every week, almost every day, so I’m just used to it. Just trying to work on my craft, that’s really it.”
A lot of that work has happened on the ice with Canadiens goaltending coach Marco Marciano, with technical improvements certainly lending to his playoff-leading 14.6 goals saved above expected.
But just as much has happened off it with Marciano — alongside mental coach Pete Fry — and that work has been well documented.
Where it’s led Dobes is to a much better place in such a short span of time.
Now, he leaves his emotions on the ice, where they propel the all-out effort that’s quickly made him a fan favourite.
With 19 seconds left in arguably the most disappointing game of the season on Wednesday, the fans who remained at Bell Centre rose to their feet to chant Dobes’ name at full throat after he dove back across his crease to glove a William Carrier shot labeled for his net. That also clearly helped even out whatever disappointment he was feeling at his stall.
“It’s been unbelievable,” Dobes said of that support. “My family’s here and they’re loving every second of it and really grateful for what I have and how much the fans love me and love our team. I will never take that for granted. I’ll always show up with my best effort, and that’s all I can do back. The fans have a special place in my heart, for sure.”
A lot of them think the magical run Dobes and the Canadiens have been on this spring is about to end.
But as Dobes stood at his stall post-game, he projected the exact type of confidence his team needs at a moment when they clearly feel volatile.
“I know how our group reacts to these situations,” Dobes said. “I feel like our best hockey comes when our back is against the wall, so I feel like this is going to be exciting. Yeah, it sucks right now, but tomorrow is a new day. We’ll be an amazing group full of exciting people, and we’ll have a good time on the plane, we will go for team dinner, we’ll joke around, and we’ll bring our best hockey for Game 5.”
He smiled and added he was headed home to have a slice of birthday cake and get some sleep, leaving no doubt about his preparedness to continue giving the Canadiens a chance.
There were points this season that you couldn’t predict how Dobes might react to a win or loss.
But Wednesday night affirmed he’s found a better way to balance and channel his emotions.
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