The Washington Capitals and their fans probably smelled blood in the water, when Montreal Canadiens goalie Jakub Dobes replaced a seemingly hurt Sam Montembeault in the middle of a crazy Game 3. After all, tbey had just tied the score 2-2 midway through the game when Dobes, who hadn’t played in two weeks, was forced into action.
Granted, Dobes had generally been impressive in the regular season as a rookie, with a 7-4-3 record, 2.74 goals-against average (GAA) and .909 save percentage (SV%). However, going in cold against the Eastern Conference-leading Capitals in his first-ever postseason appearance in the NHL? Well, it was the perfect opportunity for the Caps to take a near-insurmountable 3-0 lead in the series. All they had to do was get to Dobes.
Canadiens Find Their Opening vs. Capitals
Unfortunately for the Capitals, it wasn’t as simple as that. Not only did the Canadiens get to their starter, Logan Thompson, first, with a late second-period goal to take the lead, forcing them into catch-up mode to start the third. Once the Caps did catch up (only for the Habs to soon thereafter retake the lead for good), they had to deal with what appeared to be an even-more serious injury to Thompson, after Dylan Strome inadvertently skated into him (on the 5-3 goal in what ended a decisive 6-3 Habs win to bring them back in the series).
All the Canadiens really needed was one win… and all of a sudden the series has a completely different outlook, in admittedly large part due to the uncertainty in (each team’s) net. A day later, the Capitals and Habs both had little in the way of updates surrounding their respective starting goalies, with the latter being the only ones to suggest theirs (Montembeault) could maybe play.
Obviously, in such an instance, where Thompson can’t, the Canadiens have at least a single clear-cut advantage (aside from the momentum being in their favour). Still, no one should read into that beyond what by all appearances is a sure case of gamesmanship on the part of head coach Martin St. Louis, who, coincidentally, seems like a preliminary candidate for the Jack Adams Award… Capitals coach Spencer Carbery being a favourite.
Dobes the Logical Starter for Canadiens
Even if Montembeault’s injury is on the less-serious side, simple common sense suggests the Canadiens shouldn’t risk turning to him unless he’s 100% healthy. However, St. Louis, despite the widespread acclaim he’s received this season for coaching a fifth-from-last team last year to a berth this one, is not necessarily one for logic. For example, consider how he has consistently ridden Montembeault down the stretch. The goalie hadn’t played more than 41 games in any one professional season prior to this one. This season he played 62, even after a relatively reliable backup in Dobes had emerged.
Related: Canadiens Coach St. Louis’ Most Questionable Deployment Moves
Suddenly, St. Louis, who also hadn’t played enforcer Arber Xhekaj since April 6 and found himself having to in an apparent (successful) attempt to contain Tom Wilson in a must-win Game 3, found himself performing a goaltending dance mid-game to the hockey gods, hoping against all realistic odds Dobes would deliver. There’s a lesson there.
To be fair a) going with Montembeault clearly resulted in a largely unforeseen playoff berth. So, it worked. And b) St. Louis did still give Dobes 10 starts from late January on. So, he’s not completely cold, especially now, after having gotten his first playoff appearance (and win) under his belt. All that speaks further to the Capitals’ golden missed opportunity.
That isn’t to say Dobes is a secret weapon or anything. The Canadiens would clearly prefer to play Montembeault, but the cloak-and-dagger secrecy is likely just St. Louis’ way of keeping his cards close to his vest, which is understandable under the circumstances. The assumption is Dobes is playing. The question is, are the Habs comfortable with him in net?
The Anything-Can-Happen Canadiens
Well, look at it this way: Dobes was the only Canadiens goalie to get a win over the Capitals this season, the team as a whole putting together an impressive performance during which they held the Caps to a season-low 17 shots on Jan. 10. Now Dobes has two… and, if the Habs weren’t sure beyond any reasonable doubt that they could come out victorious here before, they sure as hell are now.
Obviously, Charlie Lindgren is no slouch, if the Capitals do continue going with him over a presumably injured Thompson. Since his days with the Canadiens, the now-31-year-old has emerged as a viable option in net at the NHL level. Truth be told, he may always have been. The Habs, who had signed him out of university in 2016, never really gave him a fair shot. He went 20-14-3 this season with a 2.68 GAA and .896 SV%. Based on the number of appearances, the Caps clearly do trust him too. And, what Lindgren maybe lacks in upside at this stage, he probably makes up for in experience compared to the 24-year-old Dobes.
The point is, even with Dobes now holding a one-win advantage over Lindgren in their respective playoff careers, the Canadiens shouldn’t necessarily smell blood in the water on their part. If Game 3 proved anything, it’s that anything can happen. They should however have a renewed sense of confidence in their ability to defeat a modern-day Goliath. That definitely falls into the category of “anything.” So, that aforementioned lesson? Expect the unexpected. The Capitals and their fans would do well to take note.
Game 4 at the Bell Centre starts Sunday night at 6:30 pm Eastern.
