Jakub Dobes in Game 7 against the Sabres© AFP News
The Montreal Canadiens have a long and complicated relationship with goaltending greatness. From Jacques Plante to Ken Dryden, from Patrick Roy to Carey Price, the franchise has always seemed to find the right goaltender at the right moment. When the rebuild began, the question was simple. Who comes next? The answer has arrived in the form of Jakub Dobes, a fifth-round pick from Ostrava, Czechia, who spent two seasons learning the hard way in Laval before becoming the most important player in Montreal’s 2026 playoff run.
The Playoffs Have Been Something Else Entirely
Dobes did not arrive easily. He allowed at least three goals in each of his first six American Hockey League starts and spent stretches of the 2025-26 season as the least-used goaltender on the roster after a coaching change and a dip in form exposed technical flaws in his game.
When goaltending coach Marco Marciano was promoted in January 2026, the effect on Dobes was immediate. He won the starting job outright by March, was named the NHL’s First Star of the week for March 23-29 and led all rookie goaltenders in wins with 29 across 43 games by season’s end.
The first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning produced one of the most remarkable series in recent playoff history. Seven straight one-goal games, with the score either tied or within one goal for 98.7 percent of the series.
Dobes navigated every moment of it before stopping 28 of 29 shots in a road Game 7 when Montreal managed just nine shots on goal, the fewest ever for a winning team in a single playoff game. The second round against the Buffalo Sabres tested him differently.
He allowed three goals on the first four shots he faced in Game 5 before stopping 32 consecutive shots to lead a stunning comeback. Martin St-Louis kept him in the net when many expected a change. Dobes later said he told his coach thank you for leaving him in to prove himself.
History Made in Buffalo
Game 7 at KeyBank Center produced Dobes’ signature moment. Montreal won in overtime, becoming the first time in franchise history the Canadiens had won a road overtime Game 7. Dobes became only the second rookie goaltender in Canadiens history to win two Game 7s in a single postseason, joining Ken Dryden from 1971.
He is now the sixth rookie in NHL history to win multiple Game 7s in one playoff year. The Montreal Canadiens are heading to the Eastern Conference Final. Jakub Dobes is the reason why.
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