Jakub Dobes faced a hostile crowd at KeyBank Center Monday night, but the Montreal Canadiens goalie thrived under pressure. Despite the Buffalo Sabres rallying from a 2-0 deficit to tie Game 7 in the third period, Dobes stood tall. His 37 saves, including a critical stop on Tage Thompson in overtime, helped Montreal secure a 3-2 victory on Alex Newhook’s overtime goal, winning the series 4-3.<\/p>\n
\u201cTheir fans like to chant my name… I like that, too,\u201d Dobes said. \u201cThanks for that. Actually, that was giving me fire because I like when you’re the villain.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dobes delivered a strong bounce-back performance after getting pulled in Game 6 following an 8-3 loss at home. He described getting pulled as a \u201cwake-up call\u201d that motivated him for Monday\u2019s decisive game.<\/p>\n
Montreal jumped to a 2-0 lead with goals from Phillip Danault and Zachary Bolduc. Buffalo responded with goals by Jordan Greenway and Rasmus Dahlin, forcing overtime.<\/p>\n
Dobes made several key saves, including denying Jack Quinn on a breakaway in the first period and blocking Thompson late in the second. He also prevented a loose puck from slipping in with eight minutes left in the third, fueling Montreal\u2019s resilience.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s been great this whole playoffs, honestly,\u201d said Canadiens winger Josh Anderson. \u201cWe have the utmost confidence in him back there. He\u2019s made some huge saves in both series. You just knew he was going to have a big night.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bolduc echoed the sentiment, praising Dobes\u2019 character and determination. \u201cThat proves how much character he has, how much he wants to win. He\u2019s been our best player since the first game of the playoffs. We had all our confidence in him. We\u2019re not surprised the way he bounced forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dobes credited focus and composure as crucial in overtime. \u201cYou just got to do everything, you got to give everything you have, everything that\u2019s left in a tank… got to go all out,\u201d he said. \u201cYou got to keep telling yourself, \u2018No, the puck won\u2019t go in, they\u2019re not going to score.\u2019 Trick your brain and be there for the guys. I love the team and everyone so much. I will do anything, however long as it takes, to get the win.\u201d<\/p>\n
Defenceman Mike Matheson acknowledged Dobes\u2019 brilliance, saying the goalie \u201cgives us so much confidence and keeps us in so many games.\u201d He also noted the team\u2019s struggles in Game 6 but praised Dobes for standing firm against a Buffalo team that played well in the second period.<\/p>\n
Coach Martin St. Louis talked about the importance of resetting after Game 6\u2019s loss. \u201cThere\u2019s not much emotion attached to the process. We just tell the truth, we move on,\u201d he said. \u201cGame 7 for me, it\u2019s about finding ways. I thought we did that. Was that our best game? No, but we had pockets throughout that game and found a way to win.\u201d<\/p>\n
With the win, the Canadiens advance to the Eastern Conference final to face the Carolina Hurricanes, who had a well-rested break before starting the series Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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