Goalie support for Dobes and blue-line moves: Canadiens evening report

Goaltending was front and centre around the Montreal Canadiens on Wednesday, with renewed focus on the support in front of Jakub Dobes and on the team’s broader crease decisions, all on a day that also saw David Reinbacher’s recall from Laval, a move already reported earlier on our site.

Habs hang on for shootout win over Sabres

The Canadiens are coming off a 4-3 shootout victory over the Buffalo Sabres on Tuesday night at the Bell Centre. As Eyes on the Prize notes, Montreal surrendered the opening goal before responding with three straight to build a two-goal cushion, only to see that lead evaporate and the game decided in the shootout. The Hockey Writers, looking from the Buffalo side, frames it as a 4-3 loss to Montreal at the end of what it calls an important week for the Sabres.

In the standings, that result leaves the Canadiens 5th in the Atlantic Division with 7 points through 6 games (3-2-1), keeping them firmly in the early-season pack.

Dobes’ backing and a more complicated crease picture

La Presse zeroed in on the question of whether Dobes will get better support in front of him. According to the paper, Alexandre Carrier reiterated that Montreal’s improved defensive play has a lot to do with the hard work of the forwards helping out their two defencemen, putting the emphasis on collective responsibility rather than just the blue line or the goalie.

The Hockey Writers, meanwhile, points out that Jacob Fowler is making the Canadiens’ goaltending decisions more complicated. The outlet says Montreal entered the 2026-27 season with significant questions in net, with Jakub Dobes expected to shoulder a major share of the workload and Samuel Montembeault aiming to bounce back from a tougher campaign. In that light, the way the Habs play in front of whichever goalie starts takes on added importance night to night.

On defence, a quick reminder only: David Reinbacher was recalled from the Laval Rocket by the Canadiens earlier on Wednesday, news we have already detailed and that has been echoed by Sportsnet, La Presse and Eyes on the Prize.

On to Washington and ongoing fan discussion

Attention now turns to the U.S. capital, where the Canadiens visit the Washington Capitals on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Montreal time. Eyes on the Prize underlines that Reinbacher’s recall comes on the eve of this matchup.

Off the ice, La Presse hosted a live chat with journalist Mathias Brunet on Wednesday from noon to 1 p.m., giving fans a chance to ask questions about the Canadiens and league-wide storylines. The outlet is now inviting readers to revisit that discussion, an extra layer of context as Habs fans settle in for puck drop in Washington.