While Jakub Dobes’ 6-0-0 red-hot start wasn’t enough to net him the rookie of the month title, which was awarded to New York Islanders’ first-overall pick Matthew Schaefer, the Montreal Canadiens’ goaltender was named the third star of the month.
On top of winning his first six starts of the season, Dobes had kept a 1.97 goals-against average and a .930 save percentage. Thanks in part to Dobes’ heroics, the Canadiens are currently in first place of the Atlantic Division with 16 points and have played one game than the Detroit Red Wings. The Habs are also third in the Eastern Conference behind the surprising Pittsburgh Penguins and the New Jersey Devils, who are a much better team when Jack Hughes is healthy.
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Dobes is also first in the league when it comes to save percentage at even strength with a remarkable 0.959 SV. The Habs’ goalie is also fourth in high danger zone SV with 0.930. The rookie has also made 45 high-danger saves this season on 49 high-danger shots and a .956 save percentage on long-range shots, which has been Samuel Montembeault’s Achilles heel this season; his SV on such shots stands at .893.
While Dobes is getting a night off on Saturday night as the Canadiens host the Ottawa Senators, his perfect record since the start of the season probably means it won’t be long until he’s back in Montreal’s net, especially if Montembeault fails to impress against the Sens.
The Canadiens’ next back-to-back games are on November 28 and 29, a good 10 games away, excluding Saturday night’s tilt. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Martin St-Louis split the games down the middle if Montembeault bounces back, if he doesn’t expect Dobes to get the lion’s share of the work. As much as Martin St-Louis wants to be fair to both goaltenders, winning remains the priority.
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