The Montreal Canadiens find themselves in an early postseason hole, and now the spotlight is firmly on their goaltending situation heading into Game 2 against the Buffalo Sabres.

Jakub Dobes had a night to forget in the series opener, allowing four goals on the first 10 shots he faced. The Sabres capitalized on every opportunity, cruising to a 4-2 victory and putting Montreal on notice. With the Canadiens needing a bounce-back performance, the question on everyone's mind is whether Dobes should remain between the pipes or take a seat.

Daily Faceoff's Tyler Yaremchuk isn't calling for a permanent benching, but he's raising a valid point about workload management. Dobes started six games in each of the first two months of the regular season, seven in March, and five in April. In the last 17 days alone, he's already started eight times—matching his busiest month during the regular season. If this series goes the distance, that pace would balloon to 14 starts in 30 days.

"Do you rest him for a game?" Yaremchuk asked. "Do you just say, 'Hey, it's still your crease, but we're giving you Game 2 off. We trust Jacob Fowler. Take a breather. When this series goes back to home ice, whether it's 1-1 or 2-0, we're going right back to you.'"

It's a compelling strategy, but not without risk. Handing the net to Fowler—a promising prospect who's part of Montreal's future—could backfire if he plays lights out and forces a permanent switch. That exact scenario played out for the Sabres earlier this postseason when they pulled Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen for Alex Lyon, who has since seized the job and run with it.

Not everyone is on board with the idea. Yaremchuk's colleague, Colby Cohen, pushed back strongly. "I don't think I would do that, I really don't," Cohen said. "Not that I don't trust Fowler—because I think he's a massive part of the future—but I personally wouldn't make that move."

For the Canadiens, the decision comes down to a classic hockey dilemma: ride the hot hand (or in this case, rest the cold one) or stay the course with your starter. With the series shifting to Montreal for Games 3 and 4, the team has a chance to reset. But first, they need to survive Game 2—and that means getting the goaltending decision right.