05/15/26 08:37:00
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05/15 05:00 CDT Canadiens goalie Dobes delivers on coach's faith by rebounding
from tough start in win over Sabres
Canadiens goalie Dobes delivers on coach's faith by rebounding from tough start
in win over Sabres
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Hockey Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) --- Canadiens rookie goalie Jakub Dobes is proud he didn't
give up on himself after allowing three goals on the first four Sabres shots he
faced. And he's especially indebted to Montreal coach Martin St. Louis for not
yanking him.
A rocky start that wasn't entirely Dobes' fault, led to the goalie regaining
his form and confidence. He stopped Buffalo's final 32 shots in a 6-3 win on
Thursday night that gave Montreal a 3-2 lead in its second-round playoff series.
"I told him thank you for leaving me and trying to prove myself," Dobes said,
referring to St. Louis. "That's a big part, to have (the) trust of your coach,
and I will never disrespect it. I appreciate it and the only thing I was trying
to do just give some momentum back to the team and try to keep it tight, and it
worked out."
Game 6 is at Montreal on Saturday night.
Whatever struggles Dobes had to open a game in which the Sabres led 3-2 by the
10:15 mark of the first period, the 24-year-old from Czechia reassured his team
he had rediscovered his groove.
That was particularly evident some four minutes into the second period in
stopping Tage Thompson on a breakaway after the Sabres caught Montreal on a
line change. Buffalo's regular-season scoring leader drove in from the left
wing, cut across the crease only to have Dobes stay with him and stop
Thompson's shot with his left pad.
Montreal responded with three goals over the final 12 minutes of the period in
building a 5-3 lead.
"It was a huge save," Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said. "We never lost
confidence in him. Everyone was struggling in that first period. And I just
thought that was a big moment for us."
For Dobes, who went 29-10-4 in his first full NHL regular season, the
down-then-up outing was a lesson in not giving in to frustration. The goalie
acknowledged he sagged after rookie Konsta Helenius beat him through the legs
on Buffalo's third goal.
"The one lesson I learned from today was just got to have a better body
language for the boys --- don't let them know that I'm not feeling maybe my
best," Dobes said, noting he was reminded of that during a first-intermission
discussion. Dobes has been Montreal's starter since the playoffs opened, and is
now 7-5 in which he's allowed 28 goals.
St. Louis said it was goalie coach Marco Marciano's decision to not pull Dobes.
"Ultimately, it's probably my decision right? But I feel like the goalie
position is probably the one position that I can help much," said St. Louis, a
former NHL forward. "So I try to stay out of it and not be emotionally driven,
and being upset that we're down."
St. Louis described the conversation over the radio with Marciano, who was
watching from the press box, as being brief.
"He said, 'No, keep him in.' OK, let's move on," St. Louis said.
Forward Juraj Slafkovsky defended Dobes by saying Buffalo's first goal
pinballed in by deflecting off Sabres forward Jason Zucker and then a Montreal
defender. And Dobes was screened when Josh Doan beat him to put Buffalo up 2-1.
"We didn't help him there, but then he came back and he was in a game, and he
was once again really good," said Slafkovsky, who had three assists. "It's just
Marty trusting him. I think it's huge for confidence of (Dobes). And we all
trust him as well."
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