Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes has taken to the playoffs' intensity like a fish to water.
Montreal Canadiens fans have been used to Carey Price’s even-keeled demeanour over the years; not much could rattle the Habs’ goaltender. He did lose his cool once and went to town on Kyle Palmieri with his blocker, but that was the exception and not the rule. The Sainte-Flanelle’s current goaltender, Jakub Dobes, is a whole different animal.
The Czech netminder has shown over the last two seasons that he’ll do what he needs to do to protect his crease, but he stepped it up a notch in these playoffs. He’s no Battlin Billy (New York Islanders great Billy Smith) or Hexy (Philadelphia Flyers’ long-time goalie Ron Hextall), but there’s serious gamesmanship there.
On Friday night, there was a scrum around his net, and he took the opportunity to throw a couple of sneaky hits on Zach Benson, who’s fast becoming the Canadiens’ players’ nemesis. Whenever someone gets too close, he doesn’t hesitate for a second to shove them forward or give them a little slash on the calf.
Oftentimes, goaltenders are focused individuals who avoid any kind of interaction with the opponent, but not Dobes. Not only does he make his presence felt physically, but he’s right in the mix when it comes to chirping. That’s something we’ve seen from him in last year’s series against the Washington Capitals, which prompted the Caps to stand in his way as he was trying to go back to the Canadiens’ bench at the end of a period.
On Friday, as time was winding down and both teams were slashing and shoving like there was tomorrow, when Benson was given a penalty as the ref had seen enough, Dobes was quick to rub salt in the wound.
Asked about his goaltender’s extracurricular activities on Friday night, Martin St-Louis explained:
I don’t know, I don’t see everything, but for me, he’s a competitor. That’s all he’s doing; he’s competing out there. But I feel like he’s doing that and just being himself. I don’t overthink it; I let him be.
The fact that he’s able to stay in his game while taking an active part in the rough stuff will no doubt make Dobes a fan favourite sooner rather than later, if he isn’t already. On top of what he does on the ice, he’s also a refreshing guy to interview; he doesn’t just stick to the clichés, and he wears his heart on his sleeve.
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