Jakub Dobes, take a bow.
The 24-year-old netminder posted a .923 SV% and 2.04 GAA in the Montreal Canadiens' series win over the Tampa Bay Lightning. Next up, the Buffalo Sabres.
We'll take a look at Dobes' Conn Smythe odds and see where he stands among the other elite netminders who've received the honor.
Jakub Dobes Conn Smythe odds entering Round 2
The situation
Jakub Dobes' 35/1 odds put him on the same level as Tage Thompson, Kirill Kaprizov, and Nick Suzuki. The only player who's really done anything remotely close to the Montreal Canadiens' netminder is Kaprizov, and he's staring in the face of the Colorado Avalanche, who're the consensus Stanley Cup odds favorite — already down 1-0.
Dobes and the Canadiens have a difficult but easier task against the Sabres, with books pricing this near a pick' em. If Montreal gets by Buffalo, things don't get any easier.
The Habs will likely face the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final and the Colorado Avalanche after that... but let's not pretend like Montreal just took out the Los Angeles Kings.
Dobes outplayed a future Hall of Famer in Andrei Vasilevskiy, and while he's no Carey Price, the team Dobes has in front of him is better than what the Habs gave No. 30 in 2021.
History at a glance
Netminders have won the Conn Smythe Trophy 17 times in NHL history, with Canadiens legend, Patrick Roy, winning it thrice. As for recent history, Vasilevskiy — the goalie who just got bounced — won in 2021 — while Jonathan Quick and Tim Thomas won in 2012 and 2011, respectively.
Here is a breakdown of their stats, and how Dobes stacks up through Round 1:
| Player | GAA | SV% |
|---|---|---|
 Andrei Vasilevskiy |
1.90 | .937 |
 Jonathan Quick |
1.41 | .946 |
 Tim Thomas |
1.98 | .940 |
 Jakub Dobes |
2.04 | .923 |
Looking at that, the Habs' netminder will need to get that GAA below 2.00 and up his SV% to at least above .935 if history repeats itself. One thing he does have going for him, though, is that no skater has more than six points for Montreal.
Dobes was clearly the best player in bleu, blanc, rouge against the Bolts, which is why only Suzuki currently has the same odds as him.
I think it's quite clear that the biggest obstacle between the 24-year-old netminder and the Conn Smythe is actually winning the Cup.
Goaltender Jean-Sebastien Giguere did win in 2003 despite his Ducks falling one game short, but his .945 SV% and 1.62 GAA slots him ahead of every playoff run we just mentioned outside of Quick.
Yes, Dobes was the reason the Canadiens now own the record for fewest shots by a team in a playoff win, but the best path to the Conn Smythe is leading Montreal to their first Cup since 1993.
The conclusion
The Habs are hungry, and the rebuild has clearly paid off. They're about to play a very winnable series against Buffalo, and will then likely take on a Carolina Hurricanes team known for crumbling under the pressure when the going gets tough deep into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Bet99 currently has Montreal at +950 to win the Cup, which sounds like a great bet to pair with Dobes winning Conn Smythe honors.
