Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Secures three-year contract
Rotowire
Dobes signed a three-year, approximately $16 million contract with Montreal on Thursday.
Dobes made 43 regular-season appearances for the club last year in which he posted a 29-10-4 record, 2.78 GAA and .901 save percentage. The 25-year-old backstop figures to head into the 2026-27 campaign as the No. 1 option, but he will likely face challenges from Jacob Fowler for starts.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Cinderella run comes to close
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Tending twine Friday
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Gets no help in Game 4 loss
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Looking to even series
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Another tough OT loss
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Expectedly starting in Game 3
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Takes overtime loss in Game 2
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Tending twine Saturday
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Grabs win in Game 1
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Patrolling crease in Game 1
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Carries Habs into next round
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Can't maintain lead in Game 6 loss
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Looking to close out series
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Expected to start in Game 5
Rotowire
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.
... See More... See Less
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.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Stands tall in Game 3 win
Rotowire
Dobes made 26 saves on 28 shots in Sunday's 6-2 win over the Sabres in Game 3.
Tage Thompson knocked a puck past Dobes just 53 seconds into the first period, but he shook it off and allowed only a power-play tally by Rasmus Dahlin the rest of the way as Montreal's offense took control. The 24-year-old netminder sports an impressive 2.13 GAA and .918 save percentage through his first 10 career playoff starts heading into Game 4 on Tuesday, as the Canadiens look to take a commanding 3-1 lead in the series.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Defending home crease Sunday
Rotowire
Dobes will patrol the home blue paint Sunday versus the Sabres in Game 3, according to Heather Engel of NHL.com.
Dobes rebounded in Game 2 after a poor showing in Game 1, as he turned aside 28 of 29 shots in Montreal's 5-1 win over Buffalo on Friday. The 24-year-old has alternated wins and losses through nine games in the 2026 postseason, going 5-4 with a 2.14 GAA and a .917 save percentage. Dobes has been especially good of late, conceding just one goal in three of his last four outings, and he will have the home crowd behind him Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Sharp in Game 2 win
Rotowire
Dobes made 28 saves Friday in the Canadiens' 5-1 win over the Sabres in Game 2 of their second-round series.
After allowing four goals on just 16 shots in Game 1 of Round 2, Dobes bounced back with a superb performance. His shutout was spoiled late in the second period by Zach Benson in Friday's win. The 24-year-old Dobes has been one of the biggest surprises of the postseason so far, posting a 2.14 GAA and .917 save percentage through nine starts. Dobes will look to stay locked in as the series shifts to Montreal for Game 3 on Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Canadiens' Jakub Dobes: Drawing start in Game 2
Rotowire
Dobes will protect the road goal versus the Sabres in Game 2 on Friday, Heather Engel of NHL.com reports.
Dobes allowed four goals on 16 shots in a Game 1 loss Wednesday. While Dobes has maintained a steady role as the Canadiens' No. 1 netminder, he has yet to win consecutive games this postseason. On the flip side, he also hasn't lost two games in a row. He is 4-4 with a 2.28 GAA and a .910 save percentage over eight playoff outings.