Panthers’ Spencer Knight has found balance in his life. It’s helping him on the ice
Spencer Knight spent the majority of his time off during the NHL’s break for the 4 Nations Face-Off back home in Connecticut. He took the week-and-a-half respite to catch up with family and friends, along with the occasional workout. Most importantly to Knight, though, his time at the rink was minimal.
“Stayed away,” the Florida Panthers’ goaltender said. “It was nice.”
The break gave him a chance to reset, an opportunity to briefly get out of his routine before the Panthers make a push over the final two months of the season ahead of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Perhaps even a year ago, that might have been tough to do. Sticking to a routine is paramount for so many NHL players, goaltenders in particular.
But Knight has come to appreciate the chances to clear his head and get out of the hockey grind. It brings a fresh perspective and a reminder that there’s more to him than what he does on the ice.
“Balance is very important,” the 23-year-old Knight said. “Knowing when to push, when to not, when to get out of the routine, when you want to stay in the routine. That’s just a process you learn over time, really. As you go along, you find out what works for you and it’s always evolving, always changing.
“I think that helps you when you come to the rink,” Knight added. “It allows you to really put forth all your effort. And then when you get out of the rink, you don’t drag things out of the rink with you. You leave it there and move on, whether it’s really good or really bad.”
Things are working well for Knight.
He has thrived in his first full season back in the NHL. He spent all of the 2023-24 season with the Charlotte Checkers, Florida’s American Hockey League affiliate, in his return to hockey after dealing with an ongoing case with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder that had him enter the NHL and NHL Players Association’s joint player assistance program in February 2023.
After stopping 18 of 19 shots in Florida’s 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday, Knight is 12-8-1 with a 2.40 goals against average and .907 save percentage in 23 games (21 starts) this season as the Panthers’ No. 2 goaltender behind Sergei Bobrovsky.
He has a .938 save percentage in nine games (eight starts) since Jan. 3, stopping 210 of 224 shots that have come his way and has not allowed more than three goals in any of his eight starts in that stretch. Florida won six of those eight starts.
His save percentage is the second-highest in the NHL in that span among 43 goalies who made at least eight starts, behind only Ottawa’s Leevi Merilainen (.945). His 7.58 goals saved above average in that span is third among that group, behind only Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (14.14) and Merilainen (8.27).
“With Spencer,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, “you’re just seeing the maturation of a goaltender.”
Some of that comes with experience.
Knight is now in his fifth year of professional hockey after being drafted 13th overall by the Panthers in 2019. He has gone through his shares of ups and downs. He has learned how to deal with what comes his way. He has a better understanding of himself.
“He’s just more powerful,” Maurice said. “He’s just more experienced. I think for most of these guys, they come into their prime at 25; that’s when the experience starts to stack up on them. They have a big toolbox on how to handle different situations. It’s been a great year for him.”
Some of it comes from mentorship.
Knight has built a close bond with Bobrovsky over the past five years. They’re each others’ biggest supporter when the other is in net. They bounce ideas off each other. Being around Bobrovsky has helped Knight get a better understanding and appreciation for how Bobrovsky operates in a day-to-day fashion.
“Everyone knows Bob for his really good routine,” Knight said. “But the thing is, Bob also is a guy that knows when to take the foot off the gas. He knows when to say, ‘Hey, all right, I came to the rink. I’m actually gonna leave the rink a little earlier today’ because he knows he doesn’t need to prove to anyone that he needs to be the hardest worker. ... That’s what I took is that I have to learn when to take the foot off the gas. And that’s really you have to be able to determine that for yourself, not anyone else.”
It has Knight in the right headspace to help the Panthers close out the regular season on a strong note heading into the playoffs.
Maurice has said throughout the season the plan is for Bobrovsky to have about 50 starts for the regular season and Knight 30. With 23 games left, including five sets of back-to-backs, Knight should hit that 30-start threshold.
“He’ll get a higher rhythm rate of games this year than in any year in the past,” Maurice said. “The condensed schedules is going to benefit him.”
Finding balance in the midst of that schedule has benefited Knight, too. It has prepared him for this moment.
“We’ve been trying to play like we’re playing in the playoffs all year. That’s kind of the goal,” Knight said. “And, at least for me, that’s kind of the mentality I try to bring. Just build a game that you know is consistent so that when you gets the rink, you’re just there and you’re not thinking. You built the game over the course of the season. And you’re not like, ‘Oh, now we need to start playing harder.’ You’ve been doing it the whole year. That’s what we’re trying to build.”
This story was originally published February 26, 2025 at 12:10 PM.
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