Canadiens’ Jakub Dobes opens up about Sabres fans’ hostile gesture

Thanks to 37 saves on 39 shots against the Buffalo Sabres in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinal, Jakub Dobes helped propel the Montreal Canadiens into the Eastern Conference Final, where they will face the Carolina Hurricanes.

It marks the second time since 2021 that the Canadiens have entered the third round, and the second time since 2014. Not only did Alex Newhook stay hot in Game 7 play with his second consecutive game-winner in a series-deciding game, but Dobes turned aside several prime Sabres scoring chances, including on sniper Tage Thompson in overtime, not long before Newhook’s winner.

During the game and all throughout the series, Sabres fans at KeyBank Centre routinely tried to get under Dobes’s skin by chanting his last name mockingly. However, as he explained afterward, that simply gave him fuel.

“I mean, yeah, I was just doing my job,” Dobes said via Sportsnet on X. “Their fans like to chant my name, and I like that. Thank you, thanks for that. Actually, it was giving me fire, because I like it when you’re the villain, you’re in that situation. So, yeah, I knew we were up, and I need to keep going, keep it tight. [We’re] fortunate it was 2-1, and they scored in the third. Still, 2-1 is better than going 2-2 in the third. Just tried to play the game and make sure they didn’t get the lead.”

“Their fans like to chant my name… That was giving me fire. I like when you’re the villain.”

Jakub Dobeš speaks on Buffalo fans chanting his name during the series. pic.twitter.com/NFnsp6UVQa

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 19, 2026

In the victory, Dobes became just the second goalie in NHL history, behind the late Canadiens Hall of Famer Ken Dryden, to win multiple road Game 7’s in a single playoff year.

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