Ohio State’s new uniforms are spectacular, former Buckeye goalie Jakub Dobes is an NHL rookie sensation and Kayden McDonald expects to win a Super Bowl in year one.
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DOBES HAS THEM THINKING '86 (AND '71). You're forgiven for not knowing who Jakub Dobes is, but after today, you're not.
Dobes, for those who don't know, is the starting goalie for the Montreal Canadiens, and right now, he's the king of that city, which – apologies to Toronto, Moscow, and Stockholm – is the hockey capital of the universe.
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Jakub Dobes is also a Buckeye.
And he was damn good while in Columbus for two seasons, finishing with a 2.29 goals-against average and .926 save percentage in 74 starts on the way to capturing Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, co-Freshman of the Year, First-Team All-Big Ten and several other awards.
But that was then. Now, the rookie goaltender is getting glow-ups from
The Athletic.
With his team's 6-2 win over a very good Buffalo Sabres team in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Second Round Sunday night, Dobes passed Carey Price for the most wins by a rookie goalie in a single playoff in the cap era. The Habs now own a 2-1 series lead, and a closeout of the Sabres would make Dobes just the fifth rookie goalie to reach eight postseason wins since 2006.
Montreal has a special relationship with rookie goalies who have won the Stanley Cup. Ken Dryden did it in 1971. Patrick Roy pulled it off in 1986. Both of those goalies are Hockey Hall of Famers and both have retired jersey monuments outside Montreal's Bell Centre.
With his 2.13 goals-against average and .918 save percentage in the postseason, he might be on his way to that kind of status, as well.
