Jakub Dobes could get the Canadiens' start in St. Louis

Fowler is on a 5-game winning streak, so nobody needs to ask who the No. 1 is in Montreal right now. Engels wrote it plainly Monday morning.

Eric Engels

@EricEngels

As I wrote last night (t.co/m5SHD56xRG), Fowler has seized the starter’s role. A thought to add this morning is I wouldn’t be surprised if backup Jakub Dobes gets the nod in STL, considering his ties to the area. 1/2

The way this happened is wild. Dobes opened the season as the starter, and things went badly for him: 1-1-1 with a 4.43 GAA and an.857 save percentage through 3 games. Then Sam Montembeault got hurt in practice right before his first start of the year. Montreal called up Fowler from Laval, and the 21-year-old never gave the net back.

He has stayed hot ever since. In Winnipeg he made 34 saves on 35 shots in a 2-1 win over the Jets, which was his 5th straight victory. Before that game, Fowler was 4-1-0 with a 1.94 GAA through 5 appearances. Martin St-Louis has been riding the hot hand, and Fowler hasn't given him any reason to stop.

That brings us to St. Louis. Dobes reportedly spends his summers there, so this is close to a home game for him, and Engels thinks that could earn him the start. He also had a message for Habs fans who will freak out the moment Fowler isn't in the lineup.

Eric Engels

@EricEngels

Also think people need to relax—I know they won’t—whenever he gets a start. In a strict backup role, he’s likely to play 27-33 games and the Habs will want to keep both goalies in rhythm.

He's right, and it's worth saying now. A backup who plays 27-33 games is starting roughly every 3rd night, and that's just what a normal NHL season looks like. It doesn't mean the coaching staff has lost faith in the rookie. Both goalies need to stay sharp, and if Montreal wants to keep Fowler fresh, giving Dobes a road game in a building where he'll have people in the stands makes sense.

There's a bigger question looming, though. Once Montembeault is healthy, Kent Hughes has 3 NHL goalies for 2 spots, and Fowler has made himself awfully hard to send back to Laval. So the St. Louis start, if Dobes gets it, matters more than a usual backup night. It's his chance to show he still belongs in this crease before the team has to make that decision.