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Science has long touted the benefits of a good night’s sleep for supreme athletic performance. But what about simply posing with the tools for a good night’s sleep? Well, there may not be a whole lot of science involved with this “study,” but in the case of Montreal Canadiens goaltender Jakub Dobes, it seems to have at the very least set him on a path of positivity. In early August, Dobes posted a photo to his Instagram account showing him lounging on top of a Jump mattress. It was part of a promotional campaign for the Montreal-based, family-owned mattress company Matelas Bonheur, and it gained a good amount of attention at the time, largely due to the responses – mainly laughing emojis – from teammates including Arber Xhekaj, Jayden Struble, and Patrik Laine. But nobody is laughing now. Especially not Sam Montembeault. Jakub Dobes Has Not Lost a Game Since Posting a Photo for a Mattress Store Since that photo was posted, Dobes has not lost a game. The 24-year-old, who was a fifth round pick in the 2020 draft, won both preseason games that he started, and he is 6-0 in the regular season, with a 1.97 goals against average and a .930 save percentage. Montembeault, meanwhile, has struggled, winning just two of his five decisions, with a 3.82 goals against average and a .842 save percentage. It’s enough, even this early in the season, to have some hockey insiders suggesting that it might be time to name Dobes as the No. 1 goaltender. “I think right now we’re in a full-blown goalie controversy,” Ian Boisvert said on a recent episode of the “Locked on Canadiens” podcast. “Like, this is not an imaginary thing anymore. The fact that the head coach (Martin St. Louis) is like, ‘I don’t know who’s going to start. The starter who can’t make a save right now or Yakob Dobish, who is incredible.’ And that to me makes me think that Marty is second-guessing this even just a little bit.” On Montreal Gazette’s “Hockey Inside/Out” podcast, Stu Cowan, Rick Green, and Jack Todd downplayed the idea of a “goalie controversy,” instead suggesting that St. Louis will likely go through the season sticking with the goalie that is simply playing better, and right now, there’s no question about who that is. “I really think [Dobes is] the better goalie right now from what we’ve seen,” Todd said. “And Montembeault, he carries the load for them, he eats up minutes, he does a lot of good things, he’s a good guy, but you know, he’s still a .900 career save percentage guy. And, you know, Dobes at least, I think, has a higher potential ceiling.” Jakub Dobes Has Taken Advantage of His Early-Season Opportunity for Montreal Green, the former Canadiens defenseman and assistant coach, said that the 6-foot-4 Dobes has shown himself to be an aggressive goalie who takes advantage of his size. “He’s the kind of guy, he’s not going to sit back underneath the crossbar and wait for the shot to come,” Green said. “He’s going to attack the shooter and make sure that he plays big in the net.” If there’s one thing Dobes has proven in the season’s opening month, it’s that confidence travels well. What started as a lighthearted mattress promotion has turned into something far more tangible: the kind of belief that builds from performance, not posts. He’s not just making saves; he’s making statements. A deeper look at his early numbers shows a goaltender playing beyond his years — calm in traffic, sharp on the second chance, unshaken by the moment. That presence has carried over to the locker room, where teammates describe him as even-keeled and quietly competitive, the sort of demeanor that tends to age well in Montreal. Whether it’s sustainable or not remains to be seen. But for now, Jakub Dobes has given the Canadiens something they’ve lacked for a while — a reason to believe that the next great chapter in Montreal goaltending might already be underway.
