SUNRISE, Fla. — Jakub Dobes became the first goaltender to record a shutout against the defending Stanley Cup champion in his NHL debut since 1985, stopping 34 shots as the Montreal Canadiens beat the Florida Panthers 4-0 on Saturday.
Dobes, a 23-year-old from the Czech Republic, went 9-3-1 with a 2.44 goals-against average and a .910 save percentage in the minors this season, his second as a pro.
He became the seventh goaltender to pick up a win in his NHL debut against the Stanley Cup champion and just the third to record a shutout, according to ESPN Research. The others with shutouts were Daren Puppa for Buffalo at Edmonton on Nov. 1, 1985, and Hal Winkler for the Montreal Maroons at the New York Rangers on Nov. 16, 1926.
Dobes also joins Wilf Cude (Dec. 23, 1933), Bob Perreault (Dec. 17, 1955), Wayne Thomas (Jan. 14, 1973) and Yann Danis (Oct. 12, 2005) as the fifth Canadiens goalie overall to earn a shutout in his NHL debut, according to ESPN Research.
Cole Caufield and Jake Evans also scored for Montreal, and Alex Newhook had two assists.
Spencer Knight stopped 21 shots for Florida, which has been shut out in back-to-back games for the second time this month.
This marks the first time since 2003 that Florida has been blanked in consecutive home games. Florida lost 4-0 to Tampa Bay on Dec. 23, its most recent game before Saturday’s matchup with Dobes and the Canadiens.
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.