The Montreal Canadiens keep fading into mediocrity, and their loss on Monday night to the Columbus Blue Jackets is another example of that. This time, they got a point in the shootout, but goaltender Jakub Dobes once again had a tough time holding the fort down.
He finished the game with 20 saves on 23 shots for an 0.870 save percentage. Dobes looked unable to focus on getting back on form with yet another sub-0.900 game. But he had a good reason for this one, and you would have seen it if you tuned in right before the action began.
As is often the case when the Blue Jackets are playing in their home arena, they like firing that cannon of theirs right when their team takes the ice. Dobes apparently wasn't aware of that, given his reaction when the cannon went off.
While Dobes adjusted his gloves, the cannon boomed. He flinched, looking around as it echoed around the arena, startled, for the source of the noise. The Canadiens' broadcast noticed Dobes' reaction and shared a few laughs in the wake of the moment. Dobes, finally realizing that it was the cannon, quickly pulled on his gloves to get ready for the face-off.
Jakub Dobes' reaction was funnier than fans might realize
The kicker here is that Dobes played college hockey at Ohio State. He spent two years with the Buckeyes and appeared in 75 games, where he quickly became a fixture in the net, recording a 0.934 and a 0.916 save percentage across those two seasons.
Because he played at Ohio State, one would think Dobes found some time to venture into a Blue Jackets game or two. If he showed, maybe he would have expected the cannon to go off instead of letting it catch him off guard.
Or, maybe he saw some NHL games in Columbus anyway, and forgot that the cannon fires after the Blue Jackets take the ice. Either way, he wasn't expecting such a loud, echoing boom, considering his instant reaction.
Dobes can't afford any distractions as the Canadiens continue to falter
Letting a cannon blast startle you isn't the best way to put your focus where it needs to be, especially when you're a goaltender for a struggling hockey team. While the Canadiens picked up a point on Monday, it was their fourth-straight loss, and they're now third in the Atlantic, with the Detroit Red Wings holding the tiebreaker over them for second.
Dobes, despite his 6-1-2 record, has been struggling. After posting Vezina-worthy numbers over his first four games, Dobes' last five matchups have been forgettable, with the three goals and shootout goal he allowed against the Blue Jackets adding fuel to the fire.
He's now sitting at a 0.898 save percentage with a 2.71 GAA and a 0.556 quality starts percentage. Those don't look like bad numbers, but when you consider Dobes has a 0.845 save percentage over his past five starts, it shows you how bad things are getting.
Dobes and the Canadiens must start to refocus, despite the adversity they have been facing with injuries piling up. Cannon blasts and other distractions aside, Dobes must find a way to regain the form fans saw during his first four starts, or it could be one disappointing season in Montreal.