‘Weird’ goal spoils solid night for Sergei Bobrovsky as Panthers fall to Hurricanes
For the majority of the game Thursday, Sergei Bobrovsky did everything in his power to give the Florida Panthers a chance to win against the Carolina Hurricanes
And then, in the biggest moment, he found himself helpless.
A little more than midway through the third period, with the game tied, Hurricanes center Jesperi Kotkaniemi crashed into Bobrovsky after receiving a pass in the slot. Matthew Tkachuk came in from behind and pinned Kotkaniemi to the ice, which trapped Bobrovsky in the crease.
But no whistle blew. Play continued on.
A Sean Walker shot bounced off Bobrovsky and Kotkaniemi, both still down in the crease, and straight to Jaccob Slavin. The defenseman fired a wrist shot from the left circle.
Goal Carolina.
The Hurricanes never trailed after that, beating the Panthers 3-1 at Amerant Bank Arena.
Florida falls to 23-14-2.
“A weird goal,” said Panthers center Anton Lundell, who watched the play unfold from the bench.
The officials ruled that the goal stood because Tkachuk wouldn’t let Kotkaniemi out of the crease after he collided with Bobrovsky, which negated any possibility of goaltender interference.
“The referee announced his decision at the time he called the goal,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. “He felt that the play had been held in, so there was no point in the challenge.”
Bobrovsky pleaded to the official the play should’ve been blown dead after Kotkaniemi collided with him.
It spoiled an otherwise solid night for Bobrovsky, who stopped 37 of 39 shots he faced on Thursday, including 36 consecutive shots after giving up a goal 35 seconds into the game. His efforts allowed the Panthers to get back into the game. Florida shook off a rough first 15 minutes during which they were outshot 12-2 before upping the intensity down the stretch. Lundell tied the game 2:17 into the second period when he took a feed from Jesper Boqvist and flicked a backhanded shot high to beat Carolina goaltender Pytor Kochetkov.
And then came Slavin’s goal to give Carolina the lead for good. A Martin Necas empty net goal with 27.7 seconds left capped scoring.
“Bob’s a good pro, good player,” Maurice said. “He’s had a lot of nights where he’s been the difference for us. Tough one tonight for him, but he played very well so he gets to come to the rink proud tomorrow, but he was prepped. He was ready.”
Added defenseman Gustav Forsling: “It sucks. Bob had an unreal game, and then to see that goal, whatever. We’re not going to complain about it, but it is what it is.”
The Panthers close a five-game homestand on Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m.
This story was originally published January 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM.
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