FRIENDS OR FOES? There’s only one No. 1 spot in Montreal, and both goaltenders want it.

By Christian Haines | HockeyGamedayTV | October 13, 2026

On the surface, everything looks perfect. Jakub Dobes and Jacob Fowler smile, support each other, celebrate victories together, and publicly insist their competition is healthy.

But behind those smiles sits one unavoidable reality: There is only one starting goaltender in Montreal. And neither young netminder intends to spend his career watching from the bench.

For Dobes, the argument is simple. He carried the Canadiens through a remarkable playoff run last spring, established himself as an NHL starter, and earned a lucrative contract extension. For Fowler, it’s about opportunity. The 21-year-old believes he belongs in the NHL, and his numbers suggest he has a legitimate argument.

Now, just five games into the 2026–27 season, the Canadiens have a fascinating dilemma. The established starter is struggling. The challenger is thriving. And suddenly, the battle for Montreal’s crease looks a lot more interesting.

Fowler Didn’t Hide His Frustration

When the Canadiens assigned Fowler to the Laval Rocket following training camp, the young American wasn’t pretending to be happy about it. Speaking to reporters on October 2, Fowler made his position clear.

“I feel like I did enough to make the team.” — Jacob Fowler

He also acknowledged that he wasn’t happy with the conversation he had with management. Those aren’t the comments of somebody satisfied with waiting for an opportunity.

But there’s important context. Fowler also spoke about professionalism, staying focused on his assignment and appreciating his teammates and coaches in Laval. His frustration wasn’t evidence of a locker-room feud. It was evidence of ambition.

And Fowler quickly found himself back in Montreal anyway. Following Samuel Montembeault’s lower-body injury, the Canadiens recalled Fowler on October 7. Within days, he was making his case on the ice.

The Numbers: Who Was Actually Better Last Season?

The debate becomes particularly interesting when comparing their 2025–26 regular-season performances.

Statistic	Jakub Dobes	Jacob Fowler
Games played	43	17
Record	29-10-4	9-6-2
Save percentage	.901	.908
Goals-against average	2.78	2.43
Shutouts	0	1
Goals saved above expected	+23.61	+10.63
Quality-start rate	62.8%	58.8%

2025–26 NHL regular season. Goals saved above expected and quality-start rates from Dobber’s Frozen Tools.

At first glance, Fowler holds the advantage in save percentage and goals-against average. But there’s more to the story.

Dobes handled a significantly larger workload. His 29 victories were the most among NHL rookie goaltenders, and he produced more quality starts across a much longer season.

Then there was the postseason. Dobes started all 19 Canadiens playoff games, posting a .908 save percentage and 2.66 GAA while helping Montreal reach the Eastern Conference Final. That’s experience Fowler simply doesn’t have yet.

Advanced Analytics: Fowler Has a Stronger Argument Than You Think

Goals saved above expected (GSAx) measures how many goals a goalie prevents compared with what a statistical model predicts an average goalie would allow against similar shot quality. Positive numbers are good; negative numbers suggest underperformance.

Dobes finished 2025–26 with an estimated +23.61 GSAx, compared with Fowler’s +10.63. Advantage Dobes in total value delivered. However, accounting for their different workloads changes the picture.

On a per-60-minute basis, Fowler was approximately +0.63 GSAx/60, compared with +0.56 for Dobes. That’s a narrow advantage for Fowler.

NHL shot-location tracking offers another interesting comparison:

2025–26 save percentage by danger	Dobes	Fowler
High-danger shots	.820	.825
Medium-danger shots	.880	.911
Long-range shots	.973	.978

Shot-location splits from NHL EDGE tracking, as reproduced by Hockey Insights. The smaller Fowler sample limits how much weight these differences deserve.

Fowler held a small advantage on high-danger opportunities and a more noticeable edge on medium-danger shots. Meanwhile, Dobes’ superior quality-start rate suggests he was more consistently providing Montreal with competitive outings across the full season.

The takeaway? Dobes was the proven workhorse. Fowler may have been the more efficient puck-stopper in his limited opportunities. Neither side can simply dismiss the other’s case.

Fast-Forward to 2026–27: The Momentum Has Shifted

Five games into Montreal’s season, the difference has become impossible to ignore.

Statistic	Jakub Dobes	Jacob Fowler
Games played	3	2
Record	1-1-1	1-1-0
Save percentage	.856	.938
Goals-against average	4.43	1.46
Shutouts	0	1
Goals saved above expected	-2.73	+2.84

Through October 12, 2026. GSAx estimates from Dobber’s Frozen Tools; early-season samples are very small.

Dobes began the year with a 3–2 victory over Toronto, but things deteriorated in subsequent losses to Pittsburgh and Carolina. He surrendered 11 goals across those two outings.

To be fair, Montreal’s defensive play was far from perfect. Against Carolina, the Canadiens were badly outshot through two periods and surrendered dangerous chances. A goalie cannot be held responsible for every breakdown in front of him. But the numbers still matter.

Fowler, meanwhile, lost his season debut against Nashville despite allowing only three goals before two empty-netters completed the 5–2 final. He followed that with an outstanding performance against Detroit: 30 saves, no goals against through 65 minutes, and all six Detroit shootout attempts turned aside in a 1–0 victory.

It was precisely the type of performance that forces a coaching staff to reconsider its depth chart. Coach Martin St. Louis praised the decision afterward, saying Fowler had justified the confidence placed in him.

For a young goalie who believed he should have made the opening-night roster, that performance delivered a powerful response.

Friends in Public. Competitors Behind Closed Doors?

This might be the most compelling part of the entire situation. Dobes has consistently praised Fowler. During an interview in June, Dobes described their relationship as a positive competition:

“We just go try to push each other.” — Jakub Dobes

And when discussing what the future might hold, Dobes offered another thought:

“We’ll see next year what’s going to happen.” — Jakub Dobes

Well, next year is here. And the competition is very real.

On October 12, after watching Fowler start two consecutive games, Dobes publicly supported the coaching staff’s decision. He praised Fowler’s performance against Detroit and spoke positively about the chemistry among Montreal’s goaltenders.

That is the reaction of a supportive teammate. But does it mean Dobes is comfortable surrendering the starting job? Almost certainly not. Elite athletes generally don’t reach the NHL by being content with second place.

That doesn’t make them enemies. It makes them competitors. There is no verified evidence of personal animosity between the two. Their public support could be completely genuine. But friendship doesn’t eliminate professional ambition, and only one can start the next game.

The $16-Million Question

Montreal’s management also has a financial commitment to consider. In July, Dobes signed a three-year extension worth approximately $16.07 million, beginning in 2027–28—a major vote of confidence after his impressive rookie season.

But a contract shouldn’t automatically determine who starts. If Fowler consistently gives Montreal a better chance to win, St. Louis has an obligation to recognize that.

And there is another complication. Montembeault remains part of the picture and is expected to return from injury. That could leave Montreal facing another three-goaltender situation.

The organization must balance NHL playing time, development opportunities, roster flexibility, and the risk of allowing competition to become unnecessary uncertainty. Fowler is young enough that additional AHL starts would not necessarily hurt his development. But consistently outperforming an NHL starter without earning further opportunities could send an equally problematic message.

HockeyGamedayTV Verdict: Give Fowler the Net

If this decision were based strictly on last season’s overall accomplishments, Dobes would have the stronger claim. He delivered more wins, a larger total of goals saved above expected, greater consistency across a longer schedule, and valuable playoff experience.

But deciding who deserves to start today is different from deciding who had the better season last year.

Fowler demonstrated encouraging efficiency in 2025–26, has opened this season with significantly stronger results, and just delivered one of the most impressive performances of Montreal’s young campaign against Detroit.

Our choice: Jacob Fowler deserves to be Montreal’s No. 1 goaltender right now.

That doesn’t mean handing him 60 starts or permanently demoting Dobes after three appearances. It means allowing Fowler to build on his momentum, rewarding his performance, and giving Dobes opportunities to reclaim the job through his own play.

A sensible approach would be to lean toward Fowler while continuing to evaluate both goaltenders over the next several weeks. Five games are nowhere near enough to declare a permanent winner. But they are enough to make this competition legitimate.

Dobes may have carried Montreal deep into the playoffs. Fowler might be the goaltender who takes them even further. Or perhaps this competition will push both players to levels neither would reach alone.

Because friendship is easy when everyone is winning. The real test begins when one goaltender gets the crease—and the other gets the bench.

Habs Fans: Who Is Your No. 1?

Should Montreal ride Jacob Fowler while he’s hot, or trust Jakub Dobes to rediscover the form that carried the Canadiens through last season’s playoff run? Team Fowler or Team Dobes?

#GoHabsGo #MontrealCanadiens #NHL #hgdtv #fyp #hockey