Marc Dumont
The Montreal Canadiens are coming off two dominant wins versus the Buffalo Sabres, gaining a 2-1 advantage in their second-round series in the process.
Game 3 was particularly encouraging, as both the first line and the depth players contributed offensively, producing a dominant 6-2 win that will surely motivate the entire team. If the Canadiens can count on their entire lineup to produce offence, they’ll be very difficult to stop.
However, while the skaters haven’t always rowed in the same direction during the playoffs, rookie netminder Jakub Dobes has been a beacon of consistency, a truly remarkable situation given his lack of experience.
Dobes Statistics – 5v5
The first thing we must note is that he’s improved his save percentage considerably. His 5v5 save percentage during the regular season was .914, whereas he’s currently running at .930.
Interestingly, the greatest improvement came from facing medium danger shots. In fact, Dobes is actually saving fewer low danger and high danger shots, but the improvement in medium shots more than compensates for the slight downtick in the other situations.
Once we dig a little further, it becomes clear that Dobes is playing a less chaotic brand of hockey in the playoffs.
This may seem counterintuitive, because he’s essentially the goaltending version of a husky, eager to go for a walk or run as often as possible, but the numbers reveal he’s been doing a good job controlling the play. He’s allowing fewer rebounds, and he’s freezing the puck more frequently.
And finally, his save percentage above expected has improved, as has his goals saved above average/60.
Montreal Canadiens Brass Tacks
There was an interesting segment on Sportsnet during Sunday’s game that focused on Dobes’ extracurricular activities.
In particular, they weren’t sure it was a good idea to react to the team’s fourth goal of the game, which took place on a powerplay that arose after Beck Malenstyn ran the young goalie at full speed.
Dobes was quick to thank the Buffalo bench for the powerplay, and consequently, the goal.
“We’ve learnt a lot about Dobes this playoffs.”@kbieksa3 discusses Jakub Dobeš’ emotions in the #StanleyCup Playoffs. pic.twitter.com/ClvG90G27b
— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 11, 2026
And while I respect the opinions presented, they ignore the reality of the situation.
Dobes will always be heavily invested in every single play.
He will react emotionally, which may confuse some, but the numbers suggest tell us that his style of play has been incredibly efficient.
Attempting to change who he is at his core wouldn’t just be a mistake, it would also put his excellent results at risk.
Dobes is producing the best statistics of his career because he harnesses that emotion, and the Montreal Canadiens are better off for it.
It’s the driving force behind their encouraging playoff run.
All Montreal Canadiens statistics are 5v5 unless otherwise noted, via Money Puck.
