Jakub Dobes: worthy of the Vézina Trophy… or at least the Calder Trophy

Maxime Truman
Jakub Dobes: worthy of the Vézina Trophy… or at least the Calder Trophy
Credit: Casey Gower/NHLI via Getty Images

The Canadiens haven't lost a game since.

After three losses in four games (to the Sharks, Ducks, and Red Wings, including two at the Bell Centre), many fans were worried and doubted their team's chances of making the 2026 playoffs.

But since then, the Habs have posted a perfect 5-0-0 record—five wins all in regulation time. The team could hardly have picked a better time to put together its best stretch of the season.

This morning, the Habs sit in sixth place in the overall NHL standings. Nothing less!

What has changed with the Canadiens that has allowed the team to start posting such strong results night after night? Yes, the guys are scoring goals consistently… but they've been doing that since the start of the season. Just ask the waiters and waitresses at La Cage…

The big difference is in front of the net. For the first time in ages, the team's top two goalies are posting save percentages of .900 or higher.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Jakub Dobes is expected to be named one of the NHL's three stars of the week today. His two starts against the Hurricanes helped the team secure four points. Without him, the Habs would likely have four fewer points in the standings and would be fighting not for the top spot in their division this morning, but rather for one of the two wild-card spots.

Since Martin St-Louis, Kent Hughes, and Jeff Gorton took Samuel Montembeault out of the equation, Dobes and Jacob Fowler have been playing like very good #1 and #2 goalies.

Dobes has been simply unbeatable for the past two weeks, even though his media blackout is causing quite a stir in the hockey world.

(Credit: NHL.com)

Just a thought… but if they hadn't given Samuel Montembeault a second, third, and then fourth chance, the Canadiens would likely be first in the East this morning, which would have secured them home-ice advantage in every playoff series.

“Max, goalies who play at .900 are the norm, not the exception!”

Actually, you're wrong. Or you're stuck in the past. Here's the average save percentage per season over the last 30 years:

(Credit: Charles Beauchemin)

More and more goals have been scored over the past 10 years, and goalies' individual stats are taking the hit. What explains this change?

Oversized equipment is now banned, players have better shots than before, sticks are of higher quality, and referees are calling more penalties, which reduces hooking.

In the end, there was no need to enlarge the net, as some suggested in the late '90s.

In short, Jakub Dobes' recent performances are worthy of a Vézina-Calder Trophy winner. #Fact

Especially since Dobes manages to maintain such statistics despite a man-to-man system that increases scoring chances for both teams on the ice. And that sometime in December, he wasn't getting any more starts and there was talk of sending him to Laval, just as they had done with Samuel Montembeault…

Sometimes in life, you have to have the courage to start all over again from scratch. Other times, you just need the instinct to replace the right ingredient in the recipe. Martin St-Louis had the right instinct when he dared to make his #1 goalie the new #3 goalie, but he also had the right instinct in continuing to trust Jakub Dobes, who had become his #3 goalie over the holidays.

A big thanks to Marco Marciano, who most likely had a say in all of this!

There are only nine games left before the end of the regular season. The Canadiens have a 998-in-1,000 chance of extending their season once the regular season is over. Dobes will need to use the four to seven starts he gets to prepare himself well for the playoffs.

Let's hope the pain he felt yesterday at the end of the first period doesn't come back to haunt him today. That's the last thing we need…

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