BUFFALO \u2014 Martin St. Louis was faced with a decision midway through the first period.<\/p>\n
The Montreal Canadiens<\/a> head coach had just watched his frustrated netminder allow three goals on the first four shots.<\/p>\n St. Louis turned to assistant Trevor Letowski, who was already on the headset with interim goalie coach Marco Marciano seated high above the KeyBank Center ice in a private suite.<\/p>\n The conversation was a quick one.<\/p>\n \u201cKeep him in,\u201d St. Louis said of the message from up top. \u201cOK, let\u2019s move on. I feel like you have to empower the people that are actually certified for the position. <\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s what I did.\u201d<\/p>\n And now the Canadiens sit one victory from the NHL\u2019s Eastern Conference final.<\/p>\n Dobes made 33 saves \u2014 including 32 straight following a forgettable first period \u2014 to help Montreal top the Buffalo Sabres<\/a> 6-3 and take a 3-2 lead in the teams\u2019 second-round playoff series.<\/p>\n \u201cA couple tough bounces lately,\u201d said Dobes, undone by a wild goal off a stanchion in a 3-2 home loss in Game 4. \u201cBut I just feel like the one lesson I learned from (Thursday is) just got to have a better body language for the boys \u2014 don\u2019t let them know that I\u2019m not feeling maybe my best.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talked a little bit during intermission. We met up in the locker room and we were really excited.\u201d<\/p>\n Montreal, which can book a matchup against the Carolina Hurricanes<\/a> with a victory at what will be a rocking Bell Centre on Saturday night, was on the backfoot early in Game 5 as the Sabres pressed.<\/p>\n Dobes stopped the first shot he faced before things went completely off the rails. <\/p>\n Jack Quinn<\/a>\u2019s effort hit Jason Zucker<\/a> in front and caromed in off Montreal defenceman Mike Matheson<\/a> early in the first period.<\/p>\n The Canadiens tied the game 4 1\/2 minutes later, but Josh Doan<\/a> blasted a shot along the ice on a one-timer that fooled Dobes just 1:14 later.<\/p>\n Montreal again evened things nine seconds after that, only to watch Konsta Helenius<\/a> fire another puck that fooled the second-year Canadiens backstop just after the 10-minute mark.<\/p>\n That brief call upstairs came next. Dobes would continue \u2014 and shut the door from there.<\/p>\n \u201cThe goalie position is probably the one position that I can\u2019t help much,\u201d St. Louis said. \u201cI try to stay out of it and not be emotionally driven, and being upset that we\u2019re down. The first period was chaotic on both sides.\u201d<\/p>\n Dobes thanked St. Louis for allowing him to stay in the crease.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a big part, to have (the) trust of your coach and I will never disrespect it,\u201d said the fiery 24-year-old, who has mixed it up with the Sabres during play and post-whistle throughout the series. \u201cI appreciate it and the only thing I was trying to do (was) just give some momentum back to the team and try to keep it tight \u2026 it worked out.\u201d<\/p>\n Dobes made a huge breakaway stop on Tage Thompson<\/a> less than four minutes into the second to keep the deficit at one \u2014 a moment St. Louis felt turned the tide.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s just Marty trusting him,\u201d Canadiens forward Juraj Slafkovsky, who had three assists, said of the coach sticking with his netminder. \u201cIt\u2019s huge for confidence of him. And we all trust him as well. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not the one making the decision,\u201d he added with a laugh. \u201cBut I like it the way it is.\u201d<\/p>\n That set the stage for Canadiens forwards Josh Anderson<\/a>, Jake Evans<\/a> and Nick Suzuki<\/a> \u2014 on a power play \u2014 to pump three goals past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen<\/a> in quick succession for a 5-3 lead through two periods.<\/p>\n \u201cHe continues to show a lot of maturity and battle in his game for such a young player, young goalie,\u201d Matheson said of Dobes. \u201cIt\u2019s really impressive. It\u2019s mental strength to be able to do that. It gives us a lot of confidence when he\u2019s battling.\u201d<\/p>\n Suzuki, who had a quiet word with his netminder after Buffalo\u2019s third goal, said the group\u2019s belief never wavered.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s super confident in himself,\u201d the Canadiens captain said after chipping in two assists for a three-point night of his own. \u201cHe puts the work in off the ice to have his mental training where it needs to be. He\u2019s a fighter, he wants to be in the battle with the guys.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got the perfect kind of attitude in a goalie.\u201d<\/p>\n One sitting 60 minutes from the third round.<\/p>\n This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 14, 2026.<\/p>\n Joshua Clipperton, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BUFFALO \u2014 Martin St. Louis was faced with a decision midway through the first period. 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