Sergei Bobrovsky continues to ‘savor the moment’ as he moves up in Panthers record book
The Florida Panthers knew they had to get into desperation mode.
They were clinging to a one-goal lead in their home opener against the Toronto Maple Leafs with 1:09 left when captain Aleksander Barkov made a rare trip to the penalty box. With Toronto about to have a 6-on-4 advantage with the goaltender out of his net, it looked as if the Panthers were going to have to rely on goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to once again make a magical play or two to keep the lead intact.
Instead, it was his teammates in front of Bobrovsky making the big plays as the clock ticked down after he made so many for them throughout the game.
A pair of big blocks by Niko Mikkola and Eetu Luostarinen. A diving clear by Kevin Stenlund that left a shiner under his left eye. And finally, the game-sealing takeaway by Dmitry Kulikov that set up Sam Reinhart’s buzzer-beating empty-net goal to cap the Panthers’ 3-1 win on Thursday at Amerant Bank Arena.
Not a single shot attempt by the Maple Leafs got to Bobrovsky in those final 69 seconds.
“That was incredible,” said Bobrovsky, who stopped 29 of 30 shots. “There were a few blocks in a row — big blocks, important blocks. You never know what’s going to happen if the puck goes through. It could bounce. It could be a rebound. They killed the play up high. That’s great. A great team win.”
And a win that moved Bobrovsky up in the Panthers’ record book. The win was the 107th regular-season win with the Panthers in just 189 games (184 starts). That’s second in franchise history, trailing only Roberto Luongo (230).
But just like Bobrovsky has already put Florida’s run to the Stanley Cup Final last season behind him, this personal accolade will be pushed to the side for the time being.
“You can appreciate it more after your career,” said Bobrovsky, in the early stages of his 14th NHL season and fifth with Florida. “Right now, I enjoy to be in this locker room and be part of this team. I’m so happy and I just want to take every day and savor the moment.”
Just like he was on Thursday.
Bobrovsky stopped all 20 that came his way at even strength to preserve the early 2-0 lead created after first-period goals from Stenlund and Oliver Ekman-Larsson. Ten of those 30 shots were high-danger, including three off the rush and four off rebounds.
The only goal Bobrovsky gave up was a Mitch Marner wrist shot in front of the net off a rebound on the power play.
“For a veteran goaltender,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, “he understands that he needed to get to step his game up — not that he wasn’t playing well, just that you’d have to be better than average to beat that team — and he was very good.”
He looked more often than not like the Bobrovsky who was magical during the Panthers’ playoff run, the Bobrovsky who went 12-6 in net and a perfect 7-0 in games that went to overtime. That stretch included four wins in five games in a second-round series with the Maple Leafs. Bobrovsky had a .943 save percentage in that series and capped it with a 50-save outing in the series-clinching Game 5.
But as the Panthers played a video pregame Thursday reflecting on that Stanley Cup Final run, Bobrovsky couldn’t focus on celebrating the past. He had to be ready for what was in front of him.
“The past is dead,” Bobrovsky said. “We have a new opportunity in front of us. It’s fun to have it and to be part of this opportunity.
“It was a great run,” he continued, “but our goal wasn’t achieved. We have to push a little bit more this season.”
Bobrovsky certainly has pushed. Through four games, Bobrovsky has a .908 save percentage — stopping 109 of 120 shots that have come this way — and a 2.81 goals against average.
But Bobrovsky’s .936 save percentage at full strength (73 saves on 78 shots) is the fourth-best in the early going among goaltenders who have faced at least 75 shots, trailing just Nashville’s Juuse Saros (.955), Philadelphia’s Carter Hart (.951) and Colorado’s Alexander Georgiev (.951).
For his Panthers career, in the early stages of its fifth season, Bobrovsky has a .905 save percentage and 2.96 goals against average.
“It’s a process, a long process in the regular season,” Bobrovsky said. “It’s a long marathon. You try to build confidence in your game, build the trust and chemistry with teammates and build some love in the locker room to support each other.”
.JPG)