On Tuesday, the Montreal Canadiens were close to securing two points, holding a two-goal lead over the San Jose Sharks entering the third period, but the Western Conference club stormed back in the third period before winning 4-3 in overtime.
The comeback began after a Lane Hutson turnover led to a two-on-one that Michael Misa buried to cut the lead to one before Tyler Toffoli then tied the game on the power play, sending it to overtime.
In the extra frame, Montreal was hoping to hold off the comeback in front of its home crowd, but a costly decision by goaltender Jakub Dobeš changed that. As a Sharks forward skated in front of the net to cut off a Canadiens breakout, Dobeš overextended himself into the San Jose skater and was called for interference.
On the ensuing power play, new San Jose captain Macklin Celebrini scored the winner, his second goal of the game. The 25-year-old Czech netminder has had several moments this season where he has played overly physical and been too involved with the play in front of his crease, including some plays that could have drawn penalties. On Tuesday, it finally caught up with him, in a spot where Montreal could not afford a mistake.
The error was especially costly because Dobeš is already playing for his job, with highly touted prospect Jacob Fowler pushing for starts. Tuesday was the fourth straight start for Dobeš with four or more goals against, a stretch in which he has allowed 20 goals in total.
The Jacob Fowler Question
Dobeš is coming off a strong season in which he emerged as Montreal’s potential goaltender of the future, going 29-10-4 with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in 43 games. His numbers improved in the postseason, where he helped lead the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Final, posting a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 19 starts.
Even so, his rough outing on Tuesday has only strengthened the growing case for Fowler to take over as the starter. The 21-year-old is 3-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and a .900 save percentage. His play hasn’t been flawless, as he has allowed three goals in three of his last four starts, but he has been the better of the two goaltenders.
With Montreal sitting at four wins through its first nine games, the Canadiens need answers. The attention now turns to head coach Martin St. Louis, who has a few days to make a decision before Friday's road game against the Chicago Blackhawks. If he goes with Fowler, it would be the rookie's fifth start in the last seven games and could signal a clear shift in the crease, with Dobeš losing starts and potentially his job.
There’s also the elephant in the room of Sam Montembeault, who is expected to return from injury in the next few days. His return could fuel further debate about Dobeš’s play, to the point where Montreal might consider trading him and cashing in on his value while it’s high.
That would bring back an immediate impact player and leave Fowler and Montembeault as the team’s goaltending tandem moving forward. With Dobeš’s recent struggles, a lot is on the table for Montreal GM Kent Hughes to consider.
Add us as a preferred source on Google