The Montreal Canadiens might have pulled off the most impressive feat in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. On Sunday night, the Canadiens defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 in Game 7 to advance to the second round of the playoffs, all while recording just nine shots on goal. That is impressive, as teams rarely win with that shot total in the game.
They wouldn't have won without the goalie Jakub Dobes, who stopped 32-of-33 shots on goal by the Lightning. He was the hero of Game 7, and as fans now know, he can talk trash with the best of them.
During a postgame interview on NHL on TNT, Paul Bissonette asked Dobes about what Lightning star Nikita Kucherov was telling him at the end of the second period. Dobes said he wasn't sure what Kucherov was telling him exactly, other than that he was chirping him a lot during the series. Dobes did say he responded to Kucherov in Game 7, saying "I know you guys are nervous. I know you're nervous."
Jakub Dobeš talked to the panel after his AMAZING Game 7 performance 👏🔥
— NHLonTNT (@NHL_On_TNT) May 4, 2026
"I feel like every game I played this year was kind of like a Game 7... I was playing for my life" 😤
Also got a shaving cream pie after 😂 pic.twitter.com/5TML7tKV3r
Jakub Dobes reveals he told Nikita Kucherov 'I know you're nervous' during Canadiens' Game 7 win
That is an incredible quote from Dobes. Not many can say something like that and back it up. Dobes did just that, as he stepped up in this series, and in a must-win Game 7.
As for Kucherov, who is one of the favorites to win the Hart Trophy for league's Most Valuable Player, didn't record a goal or an assist on six shots in Game 7. This has become a theme for Kucherov, who hasn't had a point in seven career Game 7s.
Dobes received the majority of starts for Montreal in the regular season, posting a 29-10-4 record, a 2.78 goals allowed average, and a .901 save percentage in 43 games (42 starts). Entering the playoffs, Dobes was notably ranked low when compared to other goalies in the playoffs. But Dobes silenced his critics in the first round.
The series between Montreal and Tampa Bay was tightly-contested, as in every single game, the win was decided by one goal. Through seven games, Dobes recorded a 2.03 goals allowed average and a .923 save percentage.
Now that the Canadiens have advanced, they will now take on a Buffalo Sabres team that shocked the NHL by winning the Atlantic Division, and decisively defeating the Boston Bruins in the opening round. If Dobes keeps playing like he did in the Tampa Bay series, it's going to be difficult to overlook the Canadiens in this upcoming series. If he is on the top of his game, Dobes may let Buffalo hear about it, much like he did to Kucherov and the Lightning.
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