Canadiens rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes well prepared for playoff pressure
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The 23-year-old Czech native made his NHL debut Dec. 28 at Florida and shut out the defending Stanley Cup champions before winning his next four starts, quickly becoming a fan favourite.
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And when Dobes was called upon Friday night to make his playoff debut against the Washington Capitals — not as the starter but in relief of the injured Samuel Montembeault — he again handled the situation with his usual aplomb. Dobes faced eight shots in slightly more than 28 minutes, allowing only an Alex Ovechkin goal early in the third period.
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Montreal defeated Washington 6-3 in Game 3 of the best-of-seven series, narrowing its deficit to 2-1 heading into the fourth game Sunday night at the Bell Centre (6:30 p.m. CBC, SN, TVA Sports, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM).
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Canadiens head coach Martin St. Louis had no update on Montembeault's condition — he suffered an injury to his right leg or groin — Saturday, saying he was still being evaluated. The coach couldn't say whether Montembeault has been ruled out of Sunday's game and, as of mid-afternoon, Cayden Primeau hadn't been recalled from AHL Laval.
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While the Canadiens didn't practise on Saturday, Dobes was understandably emotional following Friday's game.
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'You guys can't imagine how a person feels,' he said at the time. 'I was afraid. I was excited. I was emotional. I was crying at the end. I was a mess.'
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Dobes became the third goalie in Canadiens history to earn a playoff victory in a relief appearance, following Rogie Vachon (Game 4 of the 1969 quarterfinal) and Charlie Hodge (Game 1 of the 1955 semifinal). For Dobes and Hodge, it also was their playoff debuts.
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Dobes also became just the fifth active netminder to win his first career playoff game in relief. He became just the third Montreal rookie goalie in the past 20 years to earn a win in the post-season, joining Carey Price and Dustin Tokarski.
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'I saw that (Montembeault) was limping on his right leg,' Dobes explained. 'I looked back, talked to our medical trainer. He told me to get ready. I went inside and started doing something to get my adrenalin going. That was pretty much it.
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