Goalie stats
NHL Goalie Games Started Leaders: Montreal Canadiens
2025-26All situationsThrough 82 team games
Jakub Dobes (MTL) leads NHL goalies with 42 games started for the Montreal Canadiens in 2025-26, ahead of 
Samuel Montembeault (MTL) (23).
Showing 2025-26 · 2026-27 becomes the default after ~10 games per team2026-27 so far →
Leaders: Games Started, Montreal Canadiens, 2025-26
- 1stJakub DobesMTL · 43 GP42
- 2ndSamuel MontembeaultMTL · 25 GP23
3rdJacob FowlerMTL · 17 GP17
The full ranked table, with filters, follows.
What Games Started measures
This board ranks NHL goalies by games started, regular season only. Pick any season back to 2017-18 above the table. Games the goalie started, regular season.
Starts follow the depth chart and health more than form, so they carry over well within a season.
Games started counts the games a goalie began in net. Workhorse starters reach 60 or more; most teams now split the net closer to 55-27. Starts are opportunity: every win, save and shutout needs one. Watch for timeshares forming early in the season. In 2025-26, 3 goalies qualify for this board; the median is 23 and Jakub Dobes leads at 42.
Games Started leaderboard
| # | Goalie | Team | GS | GP | W | SV% | GAA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jakub DobesMTL | MTL | 42 | 43 | 29 | 0.901 | 2.78 | 85%▼7.6 |
| 2 | Samuel MontembeaultMTL | MTL | 23 | 25 | 10 | 0.872 | 3.43 | 13%▼0.8 |
| 3 | Jacob FowlerMTL | MTL | 17 | 17 | 9 | 0.908 | 2.43 | 63%▲10 |
Frequently asked questions
Who leads the NHL in Games Started in 2025-26?
Jakub Dobes leads with 42. The median of the 3 qualified goalies is 23.
How is Games Started calculated?
Games the goalie started, regular season. Regular season only, from the NHL's official game data.
How reliable is Games Started?
Starts follow the depth chart and health more than form, so they carry over well within a season.