Jakub Dobes Cannot Be Fazed By Opponents

Compared to where he was way back in November, after a 4-3 OT loss to the New Jersey Devils, Dobes has come a long way in becoming a goaltender who cannot be phased out. Back then, he seemed like a goaltender who was very weak mentally and could get really bothered by a bad goal or game. However, over the last few months, we’ve seen him change into one of the most mentally strong goaltenders in the league, which is one of the reasons that he finished the regular season as well as he did. Dobes has mentioned that working with a psychologist has helped him a lot with being able to stay focused on the game without anything bothering him.

Now, this won’t stop Dobes from having a tough game as he did in Game 1, but the fact that he is so unfazed is exactly why the Habs are an amazing 12-1-1 in their last 14 games following a loss. The next step is now finding a way to win more than one game in a row during the playoffs, as the Habs have only won every second game that they have played in the postseason thus far. Despite this, Dobes has really only had one rough performance where he couldn’t make the saves that were needed from him. Luckily, Friday he looked as good as he has been all playoffs, and Game 1 is now in the past, as Dobes will be looking to continue that amazing play from Friday night.

The positive is that he seems like he’s slowly getting into the heads of the Sabres shooters, as seen after he settled down their push following Zach Benson’s goal in game 2. If he can continue to chirp the Sabres players, there is a good chance that he could get into their heads exactly like he did to the Lightning in Game 7. This should lead to more victories throughout the series and could allow the Habs to win consecutive games for the first time of the playoffs.

Of course, it won’t just be on Dobes to steal wins like he did late in the Lightning series, as the guys in front of him will need to build off the momentum from a very dominant Game 2 vs. the Sabres. With the way that Dobes is playing, scoring about 3 goals a game should be enough to win 80-90% of games going forward. It will also be important for the Habs players to make sure their netminder can see the puck, as that was a clear issue in Game 1. They must not allow many screens, and that should help secure victories.

One thing is for sure: Dobes is in a good state of mind during these playoffs, and if you mix that with the work that he’s done with goaltender Marco Marciano since he was promoted in February, the Habs netminder has become one of the best goaltenders in the NHL over the past 2.5 months.

Do you think Dobes’ play will be enough for the Habs to take the series against the Sabres?