The Montreal Canadiens found themselves on the losing end of another high-scoring game, falling 6-4 to the Carolina Hurricanes. It also marked another tough night for netminder Jakub Dobes.
In three games, he’s allowed 13 goals on 91 shots on goal, good for a save percentage of .857. It’s not a pretty stat, especially after easing nerves in the opening-night win over the rival Toronto Maple Leafs.
But at what point should the alarm sound over Dobes’ performance? At what point are they better off taking their chances with Sam Montembeault or making the call for Jacob Fowler?
While it’s easy to make the knee-jerk reaction to race for the level to pull the alarm, take a second. Take a step back and breathe because it’s not the time just yet.
The numbers aren't fully on him
He’s certainly allowed some easier goals to pass by him so far, but sometimes who’s in front of him hasn’t helped him.
Looking specifically at Tuesday night, a couple of goals early on were a result of what happened in front of him. Early in the first period, the Habs tried multiple times to clear the puck and couldn’t. It gave Taylor Hall enough time to get the puck and complete a spin-o-rama to fling the puck to the back of the net.
Later in the period, chaos in front of the net let the Hurricanes answer after the Canadiens took the lead. The crease was crowded, and Jake Evans even tripped over Dobes as he and the puck went past the goal line. Like that, it's tied 2-2.
So, while he had his share of messy goals allowed, the numbers just don’t tell the full story quite yet.
A reminder that it’s early
Yes, an argument can be made that early-season losses can come back to haunt a team later on. If they do, feel free to look back at these efforts.
For now, it’s still difficult to make a real call on what’s happening. He’s played three games. It’s going to take a little more time before we know for sure if there’s a problem.
Good goalies have bad stretches. This is someone that we know is capable of more. If he’s the future, that's a different discussion for another time, and it depends on the definition in relation to Jacob Fowler.
But for now, it’s OK if everyone just shakes it off and gives him some time to get going. If this continues for a few more games, then we can have a firmer discussion.
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