Overview
- The Canadiens staged a ceremonial moment Wednesday when former goalie Jaroslav Halak entered the Bell Centre carrying the torch and a stop sign reading “DOBES,” drawing a loud ovation from the crowd.
- Jakub Dobes, who turned 25 that day, stopped 40 shots in Game 4 but Montreal lost 4-0, leaving the club down 3-1 to the Carolina Hurricanes in the series.
- Dobes entered the game with strong playoff numbers — a 9-4-4 record, about a 2.50 goals-against average, a roughly .911 save percentage, and the lead in goals saved above expected — that help explain why fans have elevated him.
- Bell Centre rituals such as custom stop signs and chants have linked Dobes’s run to earlier goalie springs like Jaroslav Halak in 2010 and franchise examples from Ken Dryden and Patrick Roy.
- Montreal’s limited scoring and being outshot in key games have put the burden squarely on Dobes, so the next game in Raleigh will test whether he can carry the Canadiens back from an elimination-threatening deficit.