Cowan: Jacob Fowler could be odd man out in crowded Canadiens crease

Dec. 27 will mark the first anniversary of the Canadiens calling up goalie Jakub Dobes from the AHL’s Laval Rocket. The next day, he made 34 saves in his NHL debut, recording a shutout in a 4-0 win over the Panthers in Florida.

History has a way of repeating itself, and the Canadiens called up goalie Jacob Fowler from the Rocket last Tuesday after a 6-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning at the Bell Centre. Dobes allowed three goals on 14 shots in the first period of that game before being replaced by Samuel Montembeault, who allowed three goals on 13 shots.

Fowler stopped 36 of the 38 shots he faced in his NHL debut last Thursday, a 4-2 win over the Penguins in Pittsburgh, and then allowed five goals on 29 shots in a 5-4 overtime loss to the Rangers Saturday in New York.

History has also repeated itself in that the Canadiens now have three goalies, like they did for most of the 2023-24 season, when they had Montembeault, Cayden Primeau and Jake Allen.

Dobes was put in a pressure situation Sunday when he started against the Edmonton Oilers at the Bell Centre and he responded with 27 saves in a 4-1 victory, improving his season record to 11-5-2 with a 3.03 goals-against average and a .892 save percentage.

“That’s just you guys that put the pressure on people,” Dobes said when he met with the media after the game. “I don’t put any pressure on me. I just do my job and I don’t listen to anything. And if you don’t listen to you guys, you’ll be just fine.”

Dobes might not listen to the media — which isn’t a bad thing for a young goalie — but he couldn’t ignore the fact the Canadiens called up Fowler because he and Montembeault were struggling.

“He’s a great kid, a great goalie,” Dobes said about Fowler. “It’s healthy (competition). Everything inside of this locker room is healthy. As I said, you try to not listen to people outside and you try to have family. This is my second family and that’s all that kind of matters.”

Carrying three goalies is not a good situation — as the Canadiens learned two seasons ago when they were afraid another NHL team would claim Primeau on waivers if they tried to send him down to Laval.

“I don’t know what it means moving forward,” head coach Martin St. Louis said after Sunday’s game when I asked what Dobes’s performance might mean to the three-goalie situation. “I thought Dobes was very good tonight. Tomorrow is off … I’m sure we’ll talk about a few things as a staff.

“I think every young player, every opportunity you’re getting, it’s always kind of a test,” St. Louis added about Dobes getting the start Sunday. “I would say that he got a really good grade tonight.”

Dobes and Fowler wouldn’t have to clear waivers to be sent down to Laval, while Montembeault would.

At this point — with home games Tuesday against the Philadelphia Flyers, Thursday against the Chicago Blackhawks and Saturday against the Pittsburgh Penguins — it would make sense to send the 21-year-old Fowler back to Laval to continue his development while giving Dobes a chance to grab a firm hold of the No. 1 job. The Canadiens will play the Penguins again Sunday in Pittsburgh, which would be a chance to put Montembeault back in net. The Rocket plays Thursday and Saturday in Cleveland before starting a six-day Christmas break.

If Montembeault continues to struggle — he has a 5-6-1 record with a 3.65 GAA and a .857 save percentage — the Canadiens will have a tough decision to make around Christmas, just like they did last year when they sent the struggling Primeau down to Laval and called up Dobes. After Sunday’s win, the Canadiens were holding a playoff spot in third place in the Atlantic Division, only one point behind the Tampa Bay Lightning and Detroit Red Wings.

As for Dobes, he is taking things in stride.

“I just need to save pucks,” he said after Sunday’s game. “That’s my job and that’s all I worry about and that’s pretty much what I did.

“I was playing a lot, so I was glad that I got a little bit of rest and kind of hit the reset button,” Dobes added. “I’m only 24 years old, it’s hard to play a lot of games in a row. So I feel like I had time to think what I need to do better for the team, and (Fowler) stepped up really well the first game, got us a point the second game. So whoever is in the net and is successful for us, that’s all that matters. We are really three good goalies and we just need to stay together, trust each other and don’t listen to anything, really. Just trust the work and stay confident and play for our team.”

I asked Dobes about the biggest lesson he has learned since getting called up by the Canadiens last year.

“Don’t listen to you guys,” he said.

scowan@postmedia.com

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