The Montreal Canadiens begin the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday night where they take on the Carolina Hurricanes. The path to this point was not easy, as they had to go through the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round and the Buffalo Sabres in the second round. Both series went seven games, and one of the main reasons why they won those Game 7s was due to goaltender Jakub Dobes.
Back on Monday, Dobes stopped 37-of-39 shots faced in the team's 3-2 overtime win over the Sabres. When the Canadiens needed him the most, Dobes stepped up and delivered, which has been incredible considering he is only a rookie.
As for what motivated him to have such a heroic performance earlier this week against the Sabres, Dobes revealed in an interview with Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette that what gave him the motivation in Game 7 was getting benched in Game 6 on home ice.
“I think me, getting pulled at home, was kind of a wake-up call. I took it personal,” Dobes said.
Jakub Dobes says Game 6 benching motivated his Game 7-winning performance vs. Sabres
The more you hear from Dobes, the more of a fan favorite he should become.
Back in Game 6, the Canadiens had the chance to clinch their spot in the Eastern Conference Finals on home ice, as they led the series against the Sabres, Montreal got off to an early 3-1 lead in the first period. But since that point, he surrendered five unanswered goals, forcing head coach Martin St. Louis to pull him from the game in the third period. It was Dobes' worst outing of the entire playoff run.
But as mentioned, he rebounded in Game 7 with a 37-save performance. It has been a theme for Dobes that he has been incredible in games after a loss. The rookie has a 6-0 record, a .942 save percentage, and a 1.77 goals allowed average in games after a loss.
Overall, Dobes has a 2.52 goals allowed average and a .910 save percentage in 14 starts.
Dobes has shown to be a reliable option in net not jsut in these playoffs, but for the foreseeable future. But he does face a true test in the Hurricanes, who have outscored their opponents 24-10 through the first two rounds. They can score and they can hold off their opponents. Dobes will need help from Montreal's offense, especially from the top line in Nick Suzuki, Juraj Slafkovsky, and Cole Caufield on even strength.
If there is one thing Canadiens fans can say about Dobes, it's that he can step up when it's needed the most.
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