Fucking Habs. Come on, Carolina — end this nightmare.
Ryan Day says eliminating the Big Ten title game would keep The Game "as fierce as it's ever been," and Jakub Dobeš loves being the villain for the Canadiens.
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“I LIKE WHEN YOU’RE THE VILLAIN.” Jakub Dobeš loves being the villain.
The former Ohio State goaltender delivered a bounce-back performance for the lifetime on Monday for the Montreal Canadiens, who defeated the Buffalo Sabres 3-2 on the road in overtime in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals.
Dobeš, who allowed six goals and was pulled from Game 6 on Saturday, recorded 37 saves, including a huge stop on Tage Thompson in overtime, to secure a matchup with the Carolina Hurricanes in the NHL playoffs.
His efforts were fueled by Sabres fans, who trash talked him all evening, especially when the Canadiens surrendered a 2-0 lead in the second and third periods.
The 24-year-old Dobeš never wavered. In fact, he welcomed their chirps.
“I like that,” he said. “I like when you’re the villain.”
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Canadiens forward Zachary Bolduc said he had no doubt Dobeš would bounce forward — a term often used by head coach Martin St. Louis — after his poor performance in Game 6.
“He’s been our best player since the first game of the playoffs,” Bolduc said. “We had all our confidence in him. … We’re not surprised the way he bounced forward.”
Forward Josh Anderson agreed.
“He’s been great the whole playoffs, honestly,” he said. “We have the utmost confidence in him back there. He’s made some huge saves in both series. You just knew he was going to have a big night.”
Looking ahead, Dobeš faces a tremendous challenge against the Hurricanes, who swept the Ottawa Senators and the Philadelphia Flyers in Rounds 1 and 2 while outscoring both teams 24-10 across eight games. The series kicks off Thursday at 8 p.m. in Raleigh, North Carolina. The game will be broadcast on TNT and truTV.