Jakub Dobes Loved Hearing Buffalo Fans Chanting Him On, Says Made Him Feel Like A Villain

24-year-old Czech goaltender Jakub Dobes stopped 37 of 39 shots, fueling the Montreal Canadiens' victory over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7.

Jakub Dobes Loved Hearing Buffalo Fans Chanting Him On, Says Made Him Feel Like A Villain

Jakub Dobeš (Image via @CanadiensMTL on X)

The Montreal Canadiens are back in the Final Four, making their first true conference finals since 2013-14. After a grueling Game 7 battle, the Canadiens defeated the Buffalo Sabres in overtime as Alex Newhook found his way into the latter’s net.

While Newhook may have found the way, it was indeed the 24-year-old rookie goaltender from Czechia who brought them the game. Jakub Dobes, hailing from Ostrava in north-eastern Czech Republic, saved 37 off the 39 shots made by the Sabres men, becoming the second Canadien goalie to register multiple Game 7 wins on the road as a rookie in a single postseason.

After the Habs took an early lead in the first period with two goals by Phillip Danault and Zachary Bolduc, the Sabres became aggressive, attacking the opponent’s net repeatedly. The Sabres outshot the Canadiens 39-28 in the game.

After the game, before heading into the locker room, the Czech admitted that he’s got more juice in him to go forty more games despite playing 14 high-intense ones in a row. The Habs’ first round against the Tampa Bay Lightning also went to Game 7.

He once again met the media in the locker room, where he added more to what gave him the fire to remain like a solid wall in front of the net. He admitted that the Buffalo Sabres’ fans tried to rattle him from behind, chanting his name and trying to throw him off his game. He chided right back after the game, poking fun at them after being knocked out of the season. Dobes said in the postgame interview:

Their fans like to chant my name. I like it too. Thanks for that, actually, that was giving me fire because I like that, I like when you’re the villain in this situation.

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Jakub Dobes is ready for the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference

The Montreal Canadiens are scheduled to play the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Finals, starting tomorrow. The Hurricanes have danced through the playoffs, sweeping the Ottawa Senators and Philadelphia Flyers to earn an early place in the ECF.

Jakub Dobeš
Jakub Dobeš (Image via @CanadiensMTL on X)

The Canes haven’t been aggressive on the ice in terms of goals scored, but they have kept their net unshaken for most of the time. In ten games, the Canes, led by Frederik Andersen, have allowed just ten goals, 1.25 goals per game, and recorded a save percentage of .950. They also lead the playoffs in most shutouts along with the Philadelphia Flyers (2) despite having played just eight games.

In addition, the Canes are well rested, too. Their Game 4 against the Philadelphia Flyers was more than ten days ago. Their players have gotten ample time to heal from the soreness of the two rounds. Overall, the Habs are clearly the underdogs. However, they aren’t too worried about it. At least Dobeš says they aren’t. Dobes said in a post-game interview on ESPN:

I was listening to you guys, looks like we’re the underdogs, so that’s perfect. We love to be the underdogs.

Dobeš has been on a roll in the 2026 playoffs. He currently tops the leaderboard in total saves (363), high-danger stops (88), and midrange saves (128). To complement his massive workload, he ranks third in long-range saves (65) and boasts a stellar .928 midrange save percentage, the second-best mark in the postseason for netminders with at least five games played. He will once again be put under pressure as a thrilling neck-to-neck awaits

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