The latest on Bobrovsky, and a look at how Panthers backup goalie Chris Driedger has fared
Sergei Bobrovsky was in net for about 10 minutes as the Florida Panthers went through warmups on Wednesday.
Once practice began in earnest, though, the day was over for the Panthers’ $70 million man.
Bobrovsky is expected to be scratched for the second consecutive game Thursday when the Panthers face the Los Angeles Kings to close out a four-game homestand. The team is referring to his absence as an “upper-body injury.” The Athletic reported Sunday that Bobrovsky is dealing with a tight back.
“He did well today [at practice],” Panthers coach Joel Quenneville said Wednesday. “We’ll see [Thursday], but we don’t expect him to suit up. We’ll see how he presents for the weekend.”
Chris Driedger will start his second consecutive game, his third of the homestand and eighth of the season.
The team on Wednesday recalled goaltender Sam Montembeault from their American Hockey League Affiliate, the Springfield (Massachusetts) Thunderbirds to be their backup for Thursday. Montembeault is up on emergency conditions, meaning he is up solely because the Panthers have fewer than two healthy goaltenders and must be sent back to the AHL as soon as Bobrovsky is healthy. The Panthers also did this Sunday prior to their 8-4 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs.
This is just the latest rough patch to the beginning of Bobrovsky’s tenure as a Panther. At 31 the former two-time Vezina Trophy winner has posted just a .896 save percentage and has a 3.29 goals-allowed average through 34 games (33 starts) this season. His save percentage is tied for the sixth worst among goaltenders who have faced at least 500 shots. His goals-allowed average is the fourth-highest in the league.
Driedger, 25, will hope to provide enough stability in net as the Panthers look to close their homestand with a three-game win streak. He is coming off a 43-save night against the Toronto Maple Leafs on Sunday.
“That was a surprise start for him,” Quenneville said. “I thought he handled it real well.”
For the season, Driedger is 5-2 with a .931 save percentage and a 2.40 goals-against average. He has held opponents to three goals or fewer in four of his seven starts and saved all 11 shots against him when he came in for relief of Bobrovsky in the Panthers’ 3-2 loss to the Buffalo Sabres on Dec. 31.
His trouble, though, has come when he starts consecutive games. Both of Driedger’s losses have come on the back half of consecutive starts. There was a 4-2 loss against the Minnesota Wild on Dec. 3 the game after he shut out the Nashville Predators as well as a 5-2 defeat against the Arizona Coyotes on Jan. 7 after a road win against the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“He’s done a good job when he’s been in the net,” Quenneville said. “He’s gotten some big points for us, some big wins. I think he’s ready to start games and he’s comfortable no matter how big the stage or what the stage is.”
This story was originally published January 15, 2020 at 1:27 PM.
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