The Canadiens let a two-goal lead slip away Tuesday night, but the bigger problem came in overtime, when Jakub Dobeš put Montreal in a spot it could not survive.
San Jose erased the deficit in the third period, with Lane Hutson’s turnover leading to a two-on-one finish by Michael Misa and Tyler Toffoli later tying it on the power play. That forced overtime, where Dobeš’s costly mistake opened the door for the Sharks to finish the job.
As a San Jose forward drifted in front of the net to disrupt a Canadiens breakout, Dobeš came out too aggressively and ran into the skater, drawing an interference penalty. On the resulting power play, new Sharks captain Macklin Celebrini scored the winner, his second goal of the game.
It was the kind of play that has hovered around Dobeš all season. The 25-year-old Czech has repeatedly played with a physical edge around his crease, getting too involved in traffic and flirting with penalties. On Tuesday, it finally cost Montreal at the worst possible moment.
That matters even more because Dobeš is fighting for his future in the crease. Jacob Fowler is pushing hard for starts, and Tuesday marked Dobeš’s fourth straight outing in which he allowed four or more goals. Over that stretch, he has given up 20 goals.
The numbers behind Dobeš’s season only sharpen the contrast. Last year, he looked like a legitimate answer in goal, going 29-10-4 with a 2.78 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage in 43 games. He was even better in the postseason, helping drive Montreal to the Eastern Conference Final with a 2.66 GAA and a .908 save percentage over 19 starts.
But Fowler has made the discussion harder to ignore. The 21-year-old is 3-1-0 with a 2.16 GAA and a .900 save percentage, and while he has had his shaky moments - including allowing three goals in three of his last four starts - he has still been the stronger option.
Montreal has only four wins in its first nine games, so the decision tree is getting crowded quickly for Martin St. Louis. He has a few days before Friday’s road game against the Chicago Blackhawks to sort out the crease, and if Fowler gets the nod, it would be his fifth start in the last seven games and a clear sign that the balance is shifting.
Then there’s Sam Montembeault, who is expected back from injury in the next few days. His return could only intensify the conversation, and it may even push Montreal toward exploring a trade of Dobeš while his value remains elevated.
That would leave Fowler and Montembeault as the tandem going forward, while Dobeš’s rough stretch forces Kent Hughes to weigh every option.
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