"I'm pretty comfortable," general manager Bill Zito said Monday. "We have two excellent goaltenders, and I think they're both capable and I'm excited."
Bobrovsky, Knight and Jonas Johansson have combined for a 2.76 goals-against average and .910 save percentage this season. The Panthers used Bobrovsky, Knight and Chris Driedger in the Stanley Cup First Round last season, when they lost in six games to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay Lightning.
Bobrovsky is 28-6-3 with a 2.54 GAA, .917 save percentage and two shutouts in 39 games.
"I think 'Bob's' been fantastic," Zito said. "He had a baby in the fall, so he's enjoying fatherhood and he's a great leader. Most people don't appreciate the leadership element he brings to the team as well. I think he's enjoying the team success and takes a lot of pride in seeing the team do well and I think is having fun playing hockey."
Knight made 29 saves in a 6-1 win against the Buffalo Sabres on Monday in his first start since Feb. 1 after being recalled from Charlotte of the American Hockey League, where the 20-year-old was 7-3-0 with a 2.55 GAA, .917 save percentage and two shutouts in 10 games. He's 10-6-2 with a 3.10 GAA and .902 save percentage in 19 NHL games (16 starts).
Knight was sent to the AHL on Tuesday. Bobrovsky will start against the Pittsburgh Penguins (7 p.m. ET; SNE, SNO, SNP, ATTSN-PT, BSFL, ESPN+, NHL LIVE) and Johansson will back up.
The Panthers (38-13-5) have won three straight and are first in the Atlantic Division, one point ahead of the Lightning.
Asked if he'd be fine if Florida was quiet before the deadline, Zito said it reminds him of what former Detroit Red Wings and current Edmonton Oilers GM Ken Holland said when Zito was a player agent.
"He used to make a comment, sort of at the trade deadline, if he didn't do anything, 'I rented my players to myself.' Something along those lines, right?" Zito said. "He said, 'You know, our guys, they got us this far, and it's a great team and it's a great unit and we're doing pretty well so far. I'm content, I'm comfortable with that.'"
Holland won the Cup with the Red Wings in 1998, 2002 and 2008.
"It always kind of resonated and made a lot of sense. Like, if it ain't broke don't fix it, so we'll see," Zito said. "It's not as if you can walk into a grocery store and say, 'I think I could use some ketchup, I'd like to buy some ketchup and it costs this.' So you have to really evaluate so many different factors when you're considering what to do at the deadline. And if they make sense, you do them, and if you don't, you don't. You move forward. So it's really not a question you can answer."
