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Saturday in Colorado, many fans wondered why Martin St-Louis didn’t pull Jakub Dobes despite the beating the Habs were taking.
The game was already out of reach, and the Avalanche were rolling at full speed.
The final score of 7-2 clearly reflects the awful night for the young goalie Dobes, who faced 36 shots and gave up seven goals. After the game, the fact that he was left in the net after the 5th, 6th, and 7th goals seemed strange.
During the game, social media heated up quickly. Many were asking for Samuel Montembeault to come in to settle things down and especially to spare Dobby. But an important detail surfaced after the game, and it really changes how the decision should be understood.
According to what has been said, St-Louis did not want to send Monty into a game where the score was already 5-1. He simply wanted to protect his confidence, especially since he had just put together two good games earlier.
In the end, that’s very understandable. A goalie who’s finding his footing again after a few difficult weeks does not need to jump into a game that’s already lost.
“Sam Montembeault just got his confidence back, no reason to bring him into a 5-1 losing game against the best team in the league.”
– Habs On Reddit
Martin St-Louis and the delicate management of his goaltenders
St-Louis also hinted in his post-game press conference that the priority at the moment was maintaining Montembeault’s psychological stability.
Dobes, for his part, played from start to finish. Even though the night stings, he still leaves with a lot of recent work under his belt over the past few weeks. For a young goalie trying to earn his place, facing 36 shots against one of the best teams can sometimes help him better understand the level of the league. However, it can also be tough on the morale.
We then understand why St-Louis stuck to his plan. The message for Montembeault was clear, and the one for Dobes as well. With such a tight schedule, a coach sometimes has to choose what causes the least damage. Yesterday, that was the choice. After the loss, the post-game comments from Josh Anderson and St-Louis summed up the frustration well.
The next games will tell whether this approach pays off. But for once, a lot of people seem to agree on one thing: the decision made sense.
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Why Martin St-Louis kept Jakub Dobes in net during the 7-2 loss to the Avalanche
Was Martin St-Louis right to keep Jakub Dobes in the game?