BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) 鈥� Canadiens rookie goalie Jakub Dobes is proud he didn鈥檛 give up on himself after allowing three goals on the first four Sabres shots he faced. And he鈥檚 especially indebted to Montreal coach Martin St. Louis for not yanking him.
A rocky start that wasn鈥檛 entirely Dobes鈥� fault, led to the goalie regaining his form and confidence. He stopped Buffalo’s final 32 shots in a that gave Montreal a 3-2 lead in its second-round playoff series.
鈥淚 told him thank you for leaving me and trying to prove myself,” Dobes said, referring to St. Louis. “That鈥檚 a big part, to have (the) trust of your coach, and I will never disrespect it. I appreciate it and the only thing I was trying to do just give some momentum back to the team and try to keep it tight, and it worked out.鈥�
Game 6 is at Montreal on Saturday night.
Whatever struggles Dobes had to open a game in which the Sabres led 3-2 by the 10:15 mark of the first period, the 24-year-old from Czechia reassured his team he had rediscovered his groove.
That was particularly evident some four minutes into the second period in stopping Tage Thompson on a breakaway after the Sabres caught Montreal on a line change. Buffalo鈥檚 regular-season scoring leader drove in from the left wing, cut across the crease only to have Dobes stay with him and stop Thompson鈥檚 shot with his left pad.
Montreal responded with three goals over the final 12 minutes of the period in building a 5-3 lead.
鈥淚t was a huge save,鈥� Canadiens captain Nick Suzuki said. 鈥淲e never lost confidence in him. Everyone was struggling in that first period. And I just thought that was a big moment for us.鈥�
For Dobes, who went 29-10-4 in his first full NHL regular season, the down-then-up outing was a lesson in not giving in to frustration. The goalie acknowledged he sagged after rookie Konsta Helenius beat him through the legs on Buffalo鈥檚 third goal.
鈥淭he one lesson I learned from today was just got to have a better body language for the boys 鈥� don鈥檛 let them know that I鈥檓 not feeling maybe my best,鈥� Dobes said, noting he was reminded of that during a first-intermission discussion. , and is now 7-5 in which he’s allowed 28 goals.
St. Louis said it was goalie coach Marco Marciano鈥檚 decision to not pull Dobes.
鈥淯ltimately, it鈥檚 probably my decision right? But I feel like the goalie position is probably the one position that I can help much,鈥� said St. Louis, a former NHL forward. 鈥淪o I try to stay out of it and not be emotionally driven, and being upset that we鈥檙e down.鈥�
St. Louis described the conversation over the radio with Marciano, who was watching from the press box, as being brief.
鈥淗e said, ‘No, keep him in.鈥� OK, let鈥檚 move on,鈥� St. Louis said.
Forward Juraj Slafkovsky defended Dobes by saying Buffalo鈥檚 first goal pinballed in by deflecting off Sabres forward Jason Zucker and then a Montreal defender. And Dobes was screened when Josh Doan beat him to put Buffalo up 2-1.
鈥淲e didn鈥檛 help him there, but then he came back and he was in a game, and he was once again really good,鈥� said Slafkovsky, who had three assists. 鈥淚t鈥檚 just Marty trusting him. I think it鈥檚 huge for confidence of (Dobes). And we all trust him as well.鈥�
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