The Wizard Of Montreal: How Dobes Outduelled Vasilevskiy In The 2026 Playoffs

When you find yourself in a playoff series against Andrei Vasilevskiy, you’re not often coming in as the favorite. That was very much the situation last season when the Montreal Canadiens squared up against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the playoffs.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the post-season abattoir: the Habs, as they have many times in their franchise’s illustrious history, found goaltending playoff magic, this time in Czech rookie Jakub Dobes. Like Ken Dryden, Steve Penney, Patrick Roy, Jaroslav Halak and Carey Price before him, the 6-foot-4, 215-pound Dobes helped propel Montreal to a deep run, including a series win over the intimidating Vasilevskiy and the Bolts. Not only that, but Dobes saved his best performances for the most crucial times: in Games 5 to 7, he surrendered just four goals total. In that same span, Vasilevskiy gave up five. “It was crazy,” Dobes said. “It was definitely something that wouldn’t have crossed my mind, but it was unbelievable. I enjoyed that series a lot, and it was really cool sharing the ice with him.”

Incredibly, Dobes, the Habs’ 2020 fifth-rounder, hadn’t even been considered a potential starter when 2025-26 began. Samuel Montembeault had the No. 1 spot locked up and even earned himself a berth on Canada’s 4 Nations Face-Off team.

But with Montembeault struggling early, coach Martin St-Louis turned to Dobes, and the then-24-year-old ended up playing 43 regular-season games before heading into the playoffs as The Guy. “He’s a gamer,” said Montreal center Alex Newhook. “He likes the big moments, he likes the spotlight, and he showed up when it mattered most for us last year, for sure. He’s proved he can do it in big situations, and that instills the confidence he has behind us.”

Now, the challenge is to do it again. The Habs have locked down an exciting young core and St-Louis with contract extensions, and while rivals such as the Florida Panthers and Toronto Maple Leafs will be back in the playoff hunt after off years, the pressure is on Montreal to keep rising in the Atlantic Division.

To do so, they’ll need more heroics from a player whose path to the NHL was very interesting, to say the least. Dobes grew up in an athletic household in Ostrava, Czechia. His father, Zdenek, was a goaltender who had a cup of coffee in the Czech Extraliga, and his mother, Viera, was an ice dancer. “They both understand what it takes to be a professional athlete and take it seriously,” Dobes said. “So they helped me a lot in getting to this level.”

Did Mom ever have skating tips for her kids? “I’m a goalie, so my brother is a better skater,” he said. “But she tried.”

Dobes instead leaned on his father for more practical on-ice tips. Now, the student has become the master. “We talk every day, and we talk before or after every game,” Dobes said. “He’s my No. 1 fan. At this point, I have a good amount of experience, so he doesn’t tell me everything I need to do, but he still gives me advice that I use.”

The family was also willing to let Dobes chase his dream in North America. At 16, he moved to the United States and, through an agent connection, suited up for the St. Louis AAA Blues U-18 team. (His brother, a defenseman also named Zdenek, followed that path a few years later.) While there, Dobes even played a bit of high-school hockey for the De Smet Jesuit Spartans, colloquially known as the Yellow Buckets. That must have been an eye-opener for opposing shooters. “I had switched high schools, and the guys convinced me to start playing,” Dobes said. “It was really cool. It’s not the best hockey, but it was really fun. A lot of fans, and the schools take it really seriously. It was just something fun and to play with the guys at school.”

From St. Louis, Dobes moved on to the NAHL’s Topeka Pilots in Kansas, then the USHL’s Omaha Lancers in Nebraska before joining Ohio State for college. For a kid who hails from Czechia, that’s a lot of Midwestern America to take in, but he didn’t mind at all. “The Midwest, that’s me,” Dobes said. “Every place I went to, I was fortunate to have good coaches, treatment and facilities. The junior and college path was really nice for me.”

While he couldn’t find any dumplings that rivalled the amazing ones from Ostrava, his parents occasionally visited so Dobes could get a feeling of home. Now, after a brief apprenticeship with AHL Laval, he’s in one of the world’s best food cities, Montreal, and he’s taking a bite of more than just smoked meat and bagels.

Last year’s run was as fruitful as it was surprising. After getting into 16 games the year before, Dobes not only seized the starter’s reins but became one of the league’s top keepers, finishing eighth in goals saved above expected. In the playoffs, he finished first in the same metric as the Habs were outshot by high-flying opponents in 15 of 19 games. “It’s his competitiveness,” Montembeault said. “When he goes out there, it’s not always pretty, but he never gives up on a shot. You’re going to see him dive or go side-to-side. He really wants to get every shot.”

Dobes just turned 25 in May, so he’s got a lot of NHL hockey in front of him, and no doubt shooters will learn his tendencies, as they do for all elite netminders. As his competition adapts, he’ll need to keep elevating his game. Montembeault, who went through a similar honeymoon in Montreal when he was hot, believes the mental side of the game is just as crucial as the physical part in this respect. “Especially off-ice, you have to be really professional and do everything well,” he said. “If your preparation is good, and your mind is in the right place, it’s really going to help you on the ice.”

Luckily for Dobes, he already has some great reps to look back on from last year’s run. The Tampa Bay series was big, but so was a second-round victory over the division-champion Sabres, who rode their river-hockey offensive style to their best season in nearly two decades. And even though the Canadiens were waxed by the eventual champs from Carolina in the Eastern Conference final, a young Habs team could take away some weighty lessons from the loss. Lessons that Dobes, Lane Hutson, Ivan Demidov and Juraj Slafkovsky can build off. “It was definitely a good experience,” Dobes said. “To experience great series, tight series and winning them, it’s good for the season I had. It assured me I could win those games and that our team could win those games. But the new season starts now, so it’s time to turn the page.”

Getting back to the conference final – or even going beyond – won’t be easy. The Habs aren’t surprising anyone anymore, and those who used to rule the Atlantic, such as Florida and Tampa, will be looking for revenge. But with all the talent assembled in Montreal heading into their prime years, it wouldn’t be shocking to see the Canadiens make another run. And once again, they’ll have a guy between the pipes who seems to have that Montreal magic.

See more of The Hockey News on Google and save us as a preferred source. Get the latest news and trending stories by subscribing to our newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting below the article on THN.com or creating your own post in our community forum.

This article appeared in The Hockey News' Goalie Issue 2026. 

Our annual XXL-sized Goalie Issue 2026 edition has everything you need to know about the best and most interesting goalies in the NHL. Inside, you'll find stories on plenty of goaltenders, like Sergei Bobrovsky, Jakub Dobes, Jet Greaves, Jesper Wallstedt, and more. 

You can order this issue now at The Hockey News' online store or get it for free when you subscribe today at THN.com/free.