The Canadiens have decided to keep Dobes away from media interactions, a move that followed two stellar performances where he stopped 66 of 69 shots, boasting a .957 save percentage. These games included a 5-2 victory over the Carolina Hurricanes and a tight 2-1 win against the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Reflecting on his situation, Dobes expressed some confusion about his standing. “Maybe some people feel it’s better for me to go down,” he noted.
“But if I win games… For me to go down, it would be something that I wouldn’t understand. But I don’t make these decisions.
I’m just trying to prove that I belong. I feel like if I keep winning, I’ll be just fine."
Without clear answers about his future, Dobes focuses on his teammates and fans. “I just try to win.
That’s what I’ve been doing my whole life since junior; learning how to win. I keep trying to do that and we’ll see what happens tomorrow.
All I know is I left everything on the table (making 20 saves in a 6-3 win over the Vancouver Canucks on Jan. 12) that I could. And we won.
That’s it.”
Since then, Dobes has solidified his role as the Canadiens' No. 1 goalie, compiling a 24-8-4 record with a 2.83 goals-against average and a .898 save percentage.
His last media interaction was with Anthony Martineau of TVA Sports after a practice session in Brossard. This followed a decisive 7-3 win over the New York Islanders at the Bell Centre, where Dobes, despite being the backup, engaged in some verbal exchanges with Islanders players. This incident echoed last year's playoffs when his chirping from the bench led to a memorable clash between the Canadiens' Josh Anderson and the Capitals' Tom Wilson.
Martineau, doing his due diligence, asked Dobes about the exchange with the Islanders, to which Dobes responded candidly.