NHL EDGE stats: Dobes providing Canadiens with latest spark

NHL.com's fantasy staff continues to cover the latest trends and storylines in the League through the lens of NHL EDGE puck and player tracker stats. Today, we take a look at the impact of rookie goalie Jakub Dobes' hot start for the Montreal Canadiens.

In a season becoming known for its surprising Stanley Cup Playoff contenders in the Eastern Conference, the Montreal Canadiens have become as big of a story as any. And rookie goalie Jakub Dobes is the latest wrinkle giving Montreal more staying power.

Dobes, the 23-year-old goalie selected by the Canadiens with the 136th pick (fifth round) in the 2020 NHL Draft, is 5-0-0 with a .941 save percentage and one shutout to begin his NHL career and quickly making a case to be in an even timeshare with Sam Montembeault moving forward.

Per NHL EDGE stats, Dobes ranks fifth in the League in high-danger save percentage (0.857) among those who have played at least five games and has the second-best even-strength save percentage (.957) behind New York Islanders goalie Marcus Hogberg (.963 in six games). Dobes is also among the leaders in midrange save percentage (.927; 95th percentile) and goal differential per 60 minutes (1.55; 97th percentile).

Montembeault, in terms of high-danger save percentage (.820), has also been better than the League average (.806) in the category. The emergence of Dobes could take some pressure off Montembeault, who has been a workhorse this season (35 games; tied for second most behind Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck's 37), and give Montreal a strong tandem for the stretch run. Entering Tuesday, Montreal is two points behind the Boston Bruins and Ottawa Senators in the East wild card race in a logjam that includes nine teams separated by seven points for those two spots.

Montembeault is expected to start Tuesday against the Tampa Bay Lightning at Bell Centre (7 p.m. ET; RDS, TSN2, FDSNSUN), but Dobes has already proven he can defeat some of the top teams around the League. Four of Dobes' five victories have come on the road, all of which have been against elite teams in the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers, Colorado Avalanche, Washington Capitals and Dallas Stars.

Montreal did not look like a postseason contender prior to the season debut of Patrik Laine on Dec. 3; Laine, who was acquired by Montreal in a trade with the Columbus Blue Jackets on Aug. 19, missed the first 24 games this season while recovering from a knee sprain he sustained in a preseason game on Sept. 28. Since Laine's return and over the impressive stretch that has followed, the Canadiens have the third-best points percentage (.705; 15-6-1 in 22 games) in the NHL and sixth highest-scoring offense (3.27 goals per game) since Dec. 3.

Laine has regained his form as one of the most-electric goal scorers in the NHL (tied for fifth with 0.67 goals per game), especially on the power play (10 of Laine's 12 goals through 18 games have been power-play goals; tied for fourth in NHL). The forward has also ignited rookie defenseman Lane Hutson, who has more than a point per game (23 in 22 games) since Laine's debut and ranks third at his position in points over that span behind only Zach Werenski of the Blue Jackets and Shea Theodore of the Vegas Golden Knights (25 each).

These offensive outbursts from Laine and Hutson, which have provided Canadiens goalies with plenty of goal support, can be traced to various advanced metrics. Hutson is among the League leaders in 20-plus mile per hour speed bursts (62; 96th percentile), top skating speed (23.09 mph; 94th percentile) and total skating distance (154.70 miles; 94th percentile). Laine, meanwhile, is among the best in average shot speed (70.71 mph; 99th percentile) and also ranks highly in top shot speed (90.69 mph; 86th percentile). Laine has also scored seven midrange goals, all from the left-circle region, ranking in the 93rd percentile – despite missing more than half of the season (has played 18 of Montreal's 46 games).

Although the Canadiens still rank in the bottom 10 in shot attempts percentage at 5-on-5 (48.4; tied for ninth worst) and team save percentage (.885; sixth worst) for the season at large, the accolades of Laine, Hutson and now Dobes have quickly turned a rebuilding team with a top-heavy offense into one of the most-improved teams in the NHL.

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