MONTREAL — When Jakub Dobes slid across his crease and got his toe on a shot from a player who had scored goals in 11 of his last 15 games, he delivered much more than just a highlight-reel save.
What Dobes gave his Montreal Canadiens was a save on Mark Stone when they needed it most. What he offered them was the kind of save they haven’t gotten often enough at critical points of too many other games this season. And what he ultimately presented was at least some assurance he might just be prepared for what’s directly in front of him—a fresh opportunity to become their starting goaltender.
If the decision were just based on results, Dobes would’ve been appointed well before making that save on Stone as part of a 32-stop stand in this 3-2 overtime win for the Canadiens over the Vegas Golden Knights.
He had won 15 of his 23 games coming into this one, including each of his last three starts and five of his last six (with the only loss coming in overtime).
But the performances were erratic, and nowhere near as convincing as the one Dobes offered on this night.
In his last one—a 4-3 win over the Minnesota Wild one week ago—Dobes appeared distracted. After this one, he said, “I was in my flow state.”
That was apparent roughly three hours earlier.
If you didn’t have that sense from his nine first-period saves, you could definitely start feeling it in the second period, when the Ostrava, Czechia, native made his first highlight-reel stop to keep the game knotted just two minutes after Phillip Danault got the Canadiens on the board.
They were all over the Golden Knights before play swung the other way.
That’s when Mitch Marner got the puck and threw it across the crease to Pavel Dorofeyev.
Dobes robbed him just like he did Stone in the third.
He made two more stops in succession on Vegas’ only scorer in the game, just like he made two more on Stone to preserve a 2-1 Canadiens lead while the Golden Knights were on the power play.
They were excellent saves, but also the type of timely ones the Canadiens have needed but haven’t gotten at times.
The latest example came in Boston this past Saturday, in a game in which Cole Caufield scored a hat trick and the team played well enough to be up 3-2 in the final minutes.
They found themselves down 4-3 in a matter of 12 seconds because Samuel Montembeault couldn’t make those timely saves.
He struggled to make them through October, November and most of December, and, after coming up with them through the start of the new year, he faltered once again.
That opened the door to Dobes, and he was ready.
The goaltender did his homework.
“Mark Stone is really good around the net and we had a pre-scout and knew that they like to make those plays,” the 24-year-old said. “So it’s just something that you keep in mind that they probably won’t shoot it from that side of the net and they’d probably just go back door.”
Other than that, Dobes kept his mind free and let his ability take over.
He appeared unfazed by the goal Dorofeyev scored with 3:08 remaining in regulation to make it 2-2, and he was totally locked in for the last stop he made—on Jack Eichel—before Jake Evans scored the overtime winner.
It capped a performance Dobes needs to build on.
“He’s a super confident guy,” said Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki. “I feel like he really believes in himself. He really wants to be in the moment and make those big stops, and he did a good job tonight to give us a chance to win.”
It’s what the Canadiens need every night, with their overall game in a relatively good place and the standings presenting them almost no margin for error.
It’s a tall task for a goaltender with just 40 games of NHL experience, but it’s also the opportunity Dobes has been working towards since he arrived at the end of 2024.
“I think for every young guy, you come to this league and it’s the hardest league to play in physically, mentally. And I think our young guys are learning to be pros, and I think he’s done that,” said Canadiens coach Martin St. Louis. “I think he’s been ready for his starts and he’s been battling every day and trying to keep improving. And tonight, he gets the start and goes out there and he’s a battler. Dobes is a battler. I think he’s been a pro through it all.”
It’s earned Dobes the opportunity to play more.
If he takes advantage of it, he’ll be giving the Canadiens much more of what they need.
