Canadiens’ Jakub Dobes reaches Patrick Roy territory in Game 5 vs. Sabres

The Montreal Canadiens moved within one win of the Eastern Conference semifinals after a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 on Thursday night, with rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes starring in another milestone performance.Dobes surrendered three goals on Buffalo's first four shots during a chaotic opening period but recovered to stop every attempt the rest of the way. He finished with 33 saves on 36 shots for a .917 save percentage as Montreal grabbed a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven second-round series. The win also placed Dobes alongside Canadiens legends Patrick Roy and Ken Dryden for the most road playoff victories by a rookie goalie in franchise history.One of Dobes' biggest stops came early in the second period when he denied Tage Thompson on a breakaway with Montreal trailing 3-2. The Canadiens responded with three unanswered goals in the second period to take control.Captain Nick Suzuki and Jake Evans scored 68 seconds apart late in the period. Evans gave Montreal its first lead by sweeping a loose puck past Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen with 3:45 remaining before Suzuki converted a power-play chance just 10 seconds into the advantage. Suzuki finished with one goal and two assists, while Juraj Slafkovsky contributed three assists. Cole Caufield, Josh Anderson, Ivan Demidov and Alexandre Texier also scored.Demidov's third-period power-play goal was his first of the postseason. The Canadiens' top line finally broke through after combining for only four goals and five assists in the first four games of the series.The Sabres received goals from Josh Doan, Jason Zucker and rookie Konsta Helenius, who scored in just his second playoff appearance. Luukkonen allowed five goals on 23 shots before being replaced by Alex Lyon after two periods.Dobes has continued building on a breakout season. Earlier in the playoffs, he made 28 saves in a Game 7 victory over the Tampa Bay Lightning, becoming just the fifth goalie in Canadiens history to win a Game 7 alongside Carey Price, Roy, Dryden and Jacques Plante.Up next is Game 6, scheduled for Saturday night in Montreal.The Montreal Canadiens moved within one win of the Eastern Conference semifinals after a 6-3 win over the Buffalo Sabres in Game 5 on Thursday night, with rookie goaltender Jakub Dobes starring in another milestone performance. Dobes surrendered three goals on Buffalo's first four shots during a chaotic opening period but recovered to stop every attempt the rest of the way.