How Bobrovsky keeps coming up key for Panthers. Plus a look at Seth Jones’ Florida debut
Ryan McDonagh had intercepted a pass from Aleksander Barkov and was making his way uncontested toward the Florida Panthers’ net. His breakaway opportunity while the Panthers were on the power play gave the Tampa Bay Lightning a chance to tie the score late in the third period.
But as McDonagh pushed down the ice, Sergei Bobrovsky had just enough time to settle in, analyze the moment and get in position. The veteran goaltender turned aside McDonagh high-danger chance from the slot with ease — just like he had done to so many other big opportunities by Tampa Bay in Florida’s 2-1 win on Monday night.
“He had so much time, so he started pretty early,” Bobrovsky said of the save. “I was able to set up early. It was a really timely save.”
Overall, Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 Lightning shots in the win, Florida’s fourth consecutive victory which also snapped Tampa Bay’s season-long eight-game win streak.
This included going a perfect 11 for 11 while the Panthers were on the penalty kill. Florida held Tampa Bay scoreless on seven power-play chances.
“Our penalty kill won us the game,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, “and Sergei Bobrovsky is a huge part of that.”
Added Barkov, who scored both goals in the win: “He’s our best penalty killer. He’s done his job really well. He gave us a chance.”
That’s been a consistent theme as of late. Bobrovsky is 26-13-2 with three shutouts in 41 starts this season. He has a 2.55 goals-against average and .906 save percentage.
Since Jan. 21, Bobrovsky is 8-2-0 over 10 starts with a .938 save percentage (243 saves on 259 shots on goal). He has allowed no more than one goal in five of those 10 games, including a pair of shutouts on Jan. 29 against the Los Angeles Kings and Saturday against the Calgary Flames.
“He’s been unreal the last few weeks,” defenseman Niko Mikkola said.
Seth Jones’ Panthers debut
Five-time All-Star defenseman Seth Jones made his presence known in his Panthers debut Monday.
Two days after being acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for goaltender Spencer Knight and a conditional 2026 first-round pick, Jones recorded three shots on goal, two blocked shots and a hit on Monday while being on the ice for 22:56, including 4:08 while the Panthers were shorthanded.
The Panthers had a 20-16 advantage in shot attempts and 10-7 edge in shots on goal against the Lightning when Jones was on the ice at 5-on-5.
“He’s going to be really good for us,” Maurice said of Jones. “He moves the puck clean, and he’s got a set of hands on him. … I was really pleased at his ability to process and play the game. We’ll get the systems down. We’ll get all the other stuff down, which will make him faster. He’s a good pro.”
Added Mikkola, who was Jones’ primary defense partner on Monday: “He’s a big body who moved the puck well. He was pretty easy to play with. He’s a good skater for his size and has good hands. We tried to keep it simple.”
This and that
▪ Monday was just the fourth time in franchise history the Panthers held an opponent scoreless on the power play when they had at least seven attempts. The other three: Jan. 18, 2020, at the Detroit Red Wings (0 for 7); Dec. 3, 2016 at the Ottawa Senators (0 for 7); and Feb. 2, 2016 at the Washington Capitals (0 for 8).
▪ Barkov’s two-goal performance was his first multi-goal effort of the season but 15th time that he had two points.
This story was originally published March 4, 2025 at 9:46 AM.
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