Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Cinderella run comes to close
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Dobes stopped 23 of 28 shots in Friday's 6-1 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The sixth goal was an empty-netter.
Dobes did well to get the young Canadiens this far, but they met their match against the Hurricanes. The 25-year-old lost four straight games to end the postseason. He wrapped up with a 9-10 record, a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage across 19 playoff outings. Heading into 2026-27, Dobes figures to be part of Montreal's plans in the crease, likely in a tandem with either Sam Montembeault or Jacob Fowler depending on the team's moves this offseason.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Tending twine Friday
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Dobes will guard the road goal in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Hurricanes on Friday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.
Dobes has lost the last three games, allowing three goals in each of those contests. Despite the skid, head coach Martin St. Louis is sticking with Dobes now that the Canadiens are facing elimination for the third time this postseason.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Gets no help in Game 4 loss
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Dobes allowed three goals on 42 shots in Wednesday's 4-0 loss to the Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The fourth goal was an empty-netter.
Dobes was kept busy throughout the game, but the Canadiens' offense again had trouble solving the Hurricanes' defensive structure. With the loss, Montreal is on the brink of elimination, trailing 3-1 in the series. Dobes now has a 9-9 record with a 2.53 GAA and a .912 save percentage over 18 starts this postseason. Despite the recent losses, he's played well, so it's unclear if head coach Martin St. Louis will consider a change in goal for Friday's Game 5.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Looking to even series
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Dobes will guard the home goal versus the Hurricanes in Game 4 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Wednesday, Eric Engels of Sportsnet reports.
Dobes is looking to bounce back after consecutive overtime losses in Games 2 and 3. He's still allowed just eight goals on 93 shots over the first three games of the series, but Dobes hasn't gotten consistent support from his teammates. As long as the 25-year-old continues to play well, the crease should remain in his possession.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Another tough OT loss
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Dobes stopped 35 shots Monday in the Canadiens' 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Montreal was outshot 38-13 on the night, but Dobes did everything he could to keep his team in the contest, only for Andrei Svechnikov to sneak a shot past him through traffic late in the first OT period. Dobes has had an outstanding postseason run, posting a 2.50 GAA and .910 save percentage in 17 games, but the 24-year-old netminder will need more help in Game 4 on Wednesday if the Habs are going to avoid being on the brink of elimination.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Expectedly starting in Game 3
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Dobes will tend the home twine in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Hurricanes on Monday, per Eric Engels of Sportsnet.
Dobes is coming off a 23-save effort in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2. The 24-year-old netminder has yet to lose back-to-back games during the 2026 postseason, and through 16 starts overall, Dobes is 9-7 with a 2.51 GAA and a .909 save percentage. As for the Hurricanes, they have not lost on the road during the playoffs.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Takes overtime loss in Game 2
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Dobes stopped 23 of 26 shots in Saturday's 3-2 overtime loss to the Hurricanes in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Dobes was far busier than Frederik Andersen, who faced just 12 shots in the game. Dobes did his part to keep things close, but Nikolaj Ehlers' second goal of the contest came at 3:29 of overtime. That prevented Dobes from earning a third straight win -- he continues to struggle to string victories together. He's allowed seven goals on 93 shots over his last three outings, so he doesn't appear to be in danger of losing the crease. Look for the 24-year-old netminder to get the nod again in Game 3 in Montreal on Monday.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Tending twine Saturday
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Dobes will guard the road goal in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals versus the Hurricanes on Saturday, Ryan Henkel of The Hockey News reports.
Dobes posted a 26-save effort to get the win in Game 1 on Thursday. The Hurricanes are likely to bounce back after shaking off the rust following a long break between rounds, but Dobes has largely delivered good results all postseason long. He has allowed two goals or fewer in his last two starts and in eight of his 15 playoff games so far.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Grabs win in Game 1
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Dobes allowed two goals on 28 shots in Thursday's 6-2 win over the Hurricanes in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.
Dobes gave up a goal 33 seconds into the game, but he allowed just one more while the Canadiens' offense handled the rest. This gave him consecutive wins for just the second time in the postseason. He's up to 9-6 with a 2.48 GAA and a .911 save percentage over 15 starts this postseason. This won't be an easy series, but Dobes has proven himself up to the challenge throughout the playoffs, so expect him to start Game 2 on Saturday.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Patrolling crease in Game 1
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Dobes will be between the road pipes in Game 1 against the Hurricanes on Thursday, Stu Cowan of The Montreal Gazette reports.
Dobes has started all 14 postseason games for the Habs this year, going 8-6 with a 2.52 GAA and .910 save percentage. The young netminder has been significantly better on the road in the playoffs, posting a 6-2 record compared to his 2-4 numbers at home.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Carries Habs into next round
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Dobes made 37 saves Monday in the Canadiens' 3-2 overtime win over the Sabres in Game 7 of their second-round series.
Montreal was outshot 39-25 by the home side in the series clincher, but Dobes came up big time and again, and he had little chance on the two pucks that got past him -- one of which deflected home off Jordan Greenway's hip. The 24-year-old netminder has started all 14 playoff games for the Habs, posting a 2.52 GAA and .910 save percentage, and he's just the second rookie goalie in NHL history to win multiple Game 7s on the road in the same postseason, with Hall of Famer and Montreal legend Ken Dryden being the other. Dobes will get a brief breather before taking on Carolina in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals on Thursday.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Called upon for Game 7
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Dobes will guard the road crease in Monday's Game 7 against the Sabres, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Dobes will be called upon for his second consecutive Game 7 and his 15th start in a row, dating back to the end of the regular season. He'll look to bounce back after being pulled midway through the third period in Game 6, allowing Jacob Fowler to experience his first taste of NHL playoff hockey. In Montreal's series against Buffalo, the 24-year-old Dobes has a 3-3-0 record, a 3.31 GAA and an .884 save percentage across six outings. Monday's win-or-go-home matchup will be a true test for the young netminder, who has yet to lose consecutive games in this postseason.
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Can't maintain lead in Game 6 loss
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Dobes allowed six goals on 33 shots in Saturday's 8-3 loss to the Sabres in Game 6.
Dobes gave up a goal 32 seconds into the game, but the Canadiens quickly responded to earn a 3-1 lead. The 24-year-old netminder didn't get any additional help, but he needed it -- the Sabres scored seven straight to close out the contest. Dobes was pulled after Jack Quinn's tally midway through the third period, allowing Jacob Fowler to make his playoff debut. Dobes is down to 7-6 with a 2.59 GAA and a .906 save percentage over 13 outings this postseason. Despite this shaky performance, he's likely to get the nod in Game 7 in Buffalo on Monday, as he's yet to lose consecutive games during this playoff run.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Looking to close out series
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Dobes will guard the home goal versus the Sabres in Game 6 on Saturday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Dobes has gone 3-2 with a .901 save percentage (118 saves on 131 shots) over five second-round games against the Sabres. The 24-year-old is looking to get the Canadiens to the Eastern Conference Finals and will have up to two chances to do so.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Rallies for Game 5 win
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Dobes made 33 saves Thursday during the Canadiens' 6-3 win over the Sabres in Game 5 of their second-round series.
The Sabres came out of the first period with a 3-2 lead, finding the back of the net on three of their first four shots. Dobes shook off the rough start and stood on his head the rest of the way, including in a final frame that saw the visitors get outshot 20-3 as Buffalo desperately tried to get back into the game. Dobes has the Habs one win away from the Eastern Conference Finals, and the 24-year-old netminder will take a 2.28 GAA and .914 save percentage through 12 postseason contests into Game 6 on Saturday back in Montreal.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Expected to start in Game 5
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Dobes is expected to start on the road against Buffalo in Game 5 on Thursday, per Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Dobes stopped 19 of 22 shots en route to a 3-2 loss to the Sabres on Tuesday. He dropped to 6-5 with a 2.22 GAA and a .914 save percentage in 11 playoff outings this year. Buffalo will have the home-ice advantage, but that might not help the Sabres much. They're 2-3 while averaging just 2.40 goals per game in Buffalo during the 2026 playoffs.
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Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Stuck with tough loss in Game 4
Rotowire
Dobes stopped 19 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Sabres on Tuesday in Game 4 of the second round of the playoffs.
The Canadiens held a 2-1 lead after the first period, but the team cooled off offensively afterward. The final two goals against Dobes came on Buffalo power plays. The tying tally came on a Tage Thompson dump-in attempt that took a strange carom off the corner boards before bouncing in off the Montreal netminder's leg. Dobes has allowed more than three goals in a game only once in 11 playoff starts while posting a 2.22 GAA and .914 save percentage.
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