Nearly a week after breaking down in front of the media following a 4-3 overtime loss to the New Jersey Devils, Montreal Canadiens’ netminder Jakub Dobes spoke to the media after practice on Wednesday.
The 24-year-old netminder was all smiles as he explained his reaction to the loss. Turns out that the youngster had lost to them last season and had promised himself that it wouldn’t happen again. The fact that it did, but that it also was in the same fashion in overtime, was the final drop in the bucket, and it pushed him over the edge.
For those who thought there might have been some lasting damage to the goaltender’s mood or confidence, rest assured that it’s already in the past. In fact, he said he was just fine when the team got on the plane back from New Jersey that night and confessed that his teammates had some fun with it at his expense. While he says he has no intention of changing his personality, he does concede that he may get better at handling results as he matures.
After watching Samuel Montembeault play the last two games, Dobes will be back in action on Thursday as the Canadiens will host the Dallas Stars. He took them on once last season and was named the second star of the game in a 3-1 win, posting a .970 save percentage.
The rookie netminder still hasn’t lost in regulation this season and has a 6-0-1 record with a 2.25 goals-against average (second in the league amongst goaltenders who have played at least seven games) and a .920 SV (fourth in the league amongst players who have played in at least seven games). His stats also make him the best rookie goaltender this season, edging Arturs Silovs from the Pittsburgh Penguins, who has a 2.45 GAA and a .916 SV with a 4-2-3 record.
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