Islanders Noah Dobson suits up for first career NHL playoff game

Noah Dobson steps into the lineup for the New York Islanders in an elimination Game 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

With Adam Pelech sidelined for Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, the New York Islanders turned to defenseman Noah Dobson to be the seventh man in the rotation on the blueline.

The 12th overall pick at the 2018 NHL Draft has featured sparingly for the Islanders the entire season.

Before tonight, Dobson hasn’t played since an exhibition game against the Rangers days before the start of the qualifying round. During the regular season, Dobson only played 34 games of 68. Most of that game time came after Pelech picked up an injury on January 2nd.

What A Moment

Talk about a moment to skate in your first career playoff game in the NHL; an elimination Game 6 in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Of course, Dobson’s never been in this situation before, but he’s been in big-game situations in his hockey career.

Over his three-year junior career, Dobson played 51 playoff games in the QMJHL. He has 47 points in those 51 games, two QMJHL Presidents trophies, and a Guy LaFleur trophy (QMJHL playoff MVP).

It gets better. Between 2018 and 2019 Dobson took both the Acadie-Bathurst Titans and Rouyn-Noranda Huskies to the CHL’s Memorial Cup tournament. Over nine games in those two tournaments, Dobson has ten points.

More importantly, his team’s won both of those tournaments. Dobson is the first player since Robert Savard in 1982 to win the Memorial Cup in back-to-back years with two different teams. He was named to the Memorial Cup All-Star team in both tournaments.

He may not have played much during the regular season, but Dobson, who just turned 20 in January took a big step forward during the postseason training camp with coach Barry Trotz praising his work alongside veteran Andy Greene.

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This is a big game for the Islanders and a big game for Noah Dobson to step in. But with those two Memorial Cup wins, Noah Dobson doesn’t seem to have an issue in big games.