4 matches, 4 goals and 4 victories for Jakub Dobes: a historical pace

This season, the Canadiens are quite fortunate in terms of rookies.

Of course, there’s Lane Hutson, whose on-ice prowess is well documented. Everyone – or almost everyone – knows that he is already a top defender in Montreal.

There is also Emil Heineman. Yes, he will miss a few weeks of action after being hit by a car in Salt Lake City, but he remains one of the most productive rookies in the Bettman circuit as I write these lines.

And now, we can add Jakub Dobes to the list. And this, despite the small sample size.

In four games, the goalie has four wins against major teams (Panthers, Avalanche, Capitals, and Stars) and has only given up four goals total. He is truly dominant.

Martin St-Louis, at this point, can send him against any NHL team.

A feat like this (four games, four wins, four goals) for a goalie making his first steps in the NHL is a pace that is simply historic. In the last 60 years, only three guys have done it before.

Only four goals in his first four games in the NHL wearing the colors of the Montreal Canadiens, the biggest franchise in hockey, has never been seen before for a goalie.

So we can say this: Cayden who?

Dobes’ average of 0.98, his save percentage of .963 (meaning he stops 24 out of 25 pucks), and his shutout show us that he wasn’t joking when he said he was ready for the NHL.

Yesterday, after the game, Dobes said that he really wanted to be recalled and that he worked hard in Laval. Clearly, it worked.

We must never forget that the development of a young player is never linear (Juraj Slafkovsky is a good example) and that the goalie could/should have rough patches along the way.

But at this moment, with the way he is playing and because he is helping the Canadiens win, it is hard to imagine a world where this competitor would return to Laval by the end of the season. However, he must not take anything for granted because things can change quickly, but…

In brief

– Larry Robinson is impressed by Martin St-Louis.

– Hmm…

– Still.

– A must-read.

– Zach Werenski is loved in Columbus.