After a wildly disappointing third-period collapse against Boston on the weekend, the Montreal Canadiens had two days off to forget about it and prepare for the Vegas Golden Knights to visit the Bell Centre. With the Atlantic division race becoming more heated by the day, the Habs found another one of their overtime thrillers to secure two points that will help keep pace with their rivals as we approach the Olympic break.
In tight games like that, goaltending will often play a crucial role. Akira Schmid was making some big saves for Vegas at one end, but Jakub Dobeš outdueled him when all was said and done.
Jakub Dobes with a fantastic pad save on a back door chance pic.twitter.com/qo03LMio7M
— Matt Drake (@DrakeMT) January 28, 2026
This was one of the more reserved, positionally sound performances we’ve ever seen from Dobeš. He generally looks a little scrambly in net, relying on his athleticism above all else to make saves. That athleticism was still present against Vegas, but he looked much calmer and more efficient with his movement. In a tight game, he gave the Habs the saves they needed to get a huge two points, and with four games remaining before the Olympic break, it’s hard to argue against him starting at least three of those contests.
They have, in order; Colorado, Buffalo, Minnesota, and Winnipeg remaining before players head to Milan. It might be a heavy bit of work to ask of Dobeš, but I can’t see how Samuel Montembeault could be trusted in any of the first three games, unless the Habs are willing to simply sacrifice the Colorado game. Of the four, Buffalo is a non-negotiable; Montembeault gave up three goals on 16 shots the last time they played, and you have to put your best foot forward for that one. Dobeš gives them their best chance of winning, so if he’s in shape to go all four of those games, frankly, it wouldn’t be the worst idea.
This isn’t just about one game. If you look at the respective bodies of work for Dobeš and Montembeault this season, Dobeš has been the better option. He may be prone to the occasional mistake, but he seems far better at shaking off those mistakes rather than allowing another bad goal minutes later. If the Habs were in the Pacific division, where 65 points would be good for first place, they could afford to play more of an even split. They’re not, so any sort of playoff aspirations require them to put the best possible lineup they can on the ice in every game where that is possible.
Right now, Jakub Dobeš is part of their best possible lineup. He should play any and all games that he’s physically capable of playing.
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