Now that our crystal ball has been returned from the shop after being repaired, we here at Hidden Game headquarters are going to look into the future for one of our rare occasions.
We can see the day when the Canadiens’ goaltending tandem will be Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler, assuming the latter, after some seasoning with the AHL Laval Rocket, develops as expected and serves his mandatory time in the minor leagues.
Samuel Montembeault, meanwhile, won’t complete his career in Montreal.
Dobes made his first start of the season Thursday night at Detroit and was nothing short of brilliant, backstopping the Canadiens to a 5-1 victory over the Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena.
Dobes, who won his first five games as a rookie last season — launching his career with a shutout victory at Florida in late December — made 30 stops against Detroit for a save percentage of .968. He’s acrobatic, unflappable and, at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, takes up most of the net while providing little in the way of targets for opposing players. Dobes allowed the opening goal, fewer than four minutes into the game on the fifth shot he faced, before settling in.
This is taking nothing away from Montembeault, who appeared in 62 games last season while producing a career-high four shutouts. And there was nothing wrong with his game Wednesday night, at Toronto, but the Canadiens lost and Montembeault allowed three goals.
We’re only two games into the season, so there’s no point getting ahead of ourselves. But we can see the day when there will be a goaltending controversy, and debate, on this team. Head coach Martin St. Louis likely will return to Montembeault Saturday night, at Chicago. But wouldn’t it be interesting if he started Dobes? And Montreal won again?
Oliver Kapanen #91 of the Montreal Canadiens scores a first-period goal past John Gibson #36 of the Detroit Red Wings at Little Caesars Arena on Oct. 9, 2025 in Detroit.
Speaking of goalies: Our sieve-of-the-night award goes to Detroit netminder John Gibson. Gibson was one of the Wings’ key off-season acquisitions, acquired from Anaheim for goalie Petr Mrazek and two Detroit draft picks. Gibson went 11-11-2 last season with a 2.73 goals-against average and .912 save percentage while playing for one of the NHL’s worst teams.
But his Wings debut was nothing short of a nightmare. He allowed five goals on 13 shots in barely more than 37 minutes. That works out to a save percentage of .615 — perhaps the hockey equivalent of being below the Mendoza Line. Ask anyone who follows baseball for an explanation. Gibson was replaced by Cam Talbot, who stopped all four shots he faced and, we’re guessing, barely worked up a sweat. Nice work if you can get it.
News you need (Part I): Gibson was 7-1-2 against the Canadiens.
News you need (Part II): The first octopus of the season was thrown onto the ice in the game’s third minute.
If only every game went this quickly: The opening faceoff occurred at 7:15 p.m. while the final siren was heard at 9:33 p.m.
How’s that rebuild working out?: And you thought things were tough in Montreal when the Canadiens went three seasons without a playoff appearance. Detroit hasn’t made it to the postseason since 2015-16. If one game is any indication, that streak of futility will be prolonged.
Message received: We’re going to assume St. Louis had a chat with defenceman Arber Xhekaj following the Toronto game. Xhekaj was more involved against Detroit. Early in the game, he battled J.T. Compher in front of Dobes — a precursor to the physical game he must play to be effective. Xhekaj finished with six hits and two blocked shots.
Pass of the night (Part I): Brendan Gallagher to Zachary Bolduc on the Canadiens’ opening goal, midway through the first period.
Montreal Canadiens right wing Zack Bolduc (76) scores on Detroit Red Wings goalie John Gibson (36) in the first period of an NHL hockey game Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025, in Detroit.
News you need (Part III): Bolduc’s first career goal, while playing for St. Louis, came at Detroit on Feb. 24, 2024. With two goals in as many games for Bolduc, how’s that trade for Logan Mailloux working out?
Pass of the night (Part II): Alex Newhook to Oliver Kapanen, 2½ minutes later, providing Montreal with a 2-1 lead.
Late goals kill: Fewer than seven seconds remained in the first period when defenceman Mike Matheson scored the Canadiens’ third goal.
Shots are over-rated: The Canadiens didn’t register their first shot of the second period until 5:17. History will note the shot from distance, by Alexandre Carrier, eluded Gibson for Montreal’s fourth goal. The Canadiens didn’t produce another shot until 15:38. On this night, it didn’t matter.
This is why guys have nightmares: Alex DeBrincat had five of Detroit’s 31 shots, but couldn’t buy a goal. He hit the post early in the second period, struck iron again in the third and was stopped on a breakaway late in the middle session. DeBrincat, by the way, scored 39 goals last season.
The invisible man: Patrik Laine is trying hard, but can’t seem to keep up with the pace of play. He played 13:45 against Detroit and had 15 shifts, but failed to record a shot despite being part of the second power-play unit.
Quick stats: Bolduc had four shots — one more than Cole Caufield and Matheson. Defenceman Kaiden Guhle had five hits and blocked two shots. The Canadiens continue struggling on faceoffs, winning only 42.5 per cent. And for the second consecutive game they were outhit, this time 35-25.
They said it: “I thought right from the start we were feeling pretty good,” Nick Suzuki told the media in Detroit. “It was tough in the first back-to-back of the season to have energy, but we did. They got the first goal but we didn’t flinch and kept going. We got a lot of big goals from different guys, so it was great.
“I think we could be 2-0,” Suzuki added. “I thought, overall, we had two really sharp games. We’ve got a lot of talent and we’re dangerous all over the lineup. I like what I’m seeing from every line. We’ve had a few tough years of not being the greatest team. Having this group of guys with the confidence we have right now is a lot of fun.”
“I feel like we played good enough to win both games,” Juraj Slafkovsky, who scored his first goal this season, said in Detroit. “Sometimes it doesn’t go our way. I’m very happy with how we played today. It’s the first win. We need a lot more. It’s good to see that we can score.”
“It’s going well right now and I just want to keep going,” Kapanen said in Detroit. “I’m playing on a good line and just want to put the puck in.”
“I thought we were good in both games,” St. Louis said. “The game of hockey has evolved over the years, but the ingredients to be on the winning side haven’t changed.”
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