FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- Sergei Bobrovsky was back in net at Florida Panthers practice Monday in his usual jovial mood while mixing in a few acrobatic saves.
No one on the Panthers expected anything different from Bobrovsky after he was pulled in the second period of an 8-1 loss to the Edmonton Oilers in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Saturday.
Bobrovsky will undoubtedly be all business when Florida makes its second attempt to win the Stanley Cup in Game 5 at Amerant Bank Arena on Tuesday (8 p.m. ET; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC). But if the Panthers needed someone to set the tone in moving on from the disappointment of Saturday, the 35-year-old goalie made it clear he had already shrugged off the loss.
"He's a happy go lucky guy," Panthers backup Anthony Stolarz said. "He likes to smile. He likes to crack a joke here and there. … He's out there making huge saves in practice today, laughing, joking around with the guys."
The Panthers still have plenty to smile about. Despite the lopsided Game 4 loss, they are still in a commanding position in the best-of-7 series with a 3-1 lead and a chance to win their first championship on home ice, where they are 8-3 in the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs.
Of the 28 previous teams that had a 3-0 lead in a best-of-7 Final, 27 went on to win the Cup. The 1942 Toronto Maple Leafs, who came back to defeat the Detroit Red Wings, were the only team to rally from such a deficit.
Although the odds are overwhelmingly in their favor, Bobrovsky and the Panthers are trying to focus simply on what they need to do to win the next game.
"It's a new game," Bobrovsky said. "It all starts from the beginning. It's a 0-0 score and I'm getting ready for the next shot."
Bobrovsky stopped 82 of 86 shots for a 1.33 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in winning the first three games of the Final, including a 32-save shutout in a 3-0 victory in Game 1. Edmonton's offense finally broke loose Saturday and scored five goals on 16 shots against Bobrovsky before he was replaced by Stolarz at 4:59 of the second period.
It was the first time Bobrovsky didn't finish a game he started since he gave up five goals on 16 shots in the first two periods of a 6-4 loss at the Toronto Maple Leafs on April. 1. Panthers coach Paul Maurice said again that decision to pull him was not based on his play but the team's performance in front of him and the score, which was 5-1.
"It's not like we were lights out and he had a tough night," Maurice said. "I got him out because he wasn't going to have anything to do with anything positive that might happen and, fortunately, I think he got 25 minutes of hockey instead of 40 and then we got him out of there."
Bobrovsky said Maurice didn't talk to him about the decision, but he understood it.
"It is what it is," Bobrovsky said. "It's hockey. They have a good team. They've got good offense, so it's part of the journey. … I try to stay in in the moment. It's good or bad, this doesn't matter. You just move to the next day."
Bobrovsky sat on the bench for the rest of the game to support his teammates. That was appreciated by everyone, particularly Stolarz, who allowed three goals on 19 shots in the first playoff appearance of his NHL career.
"He was even laughing with me, joking with me on the bench," Stolarz said. "He was the same old 'Bob.' I know he'll bounce back. He's done it day in and day out this season and I think that's one of the things that makes him such an elite goalie, his mental toughness to be able to bounce back after an off night and still he made some big saves for us in that game.
"But just the fact after the game he was laughing and joking with me a little bit. Just telling me he was excited for me that I was able to make my debut meant a lot. But I've got all the confidence in the world in him that he's going to be able to bounce back here."
Bobrovsky, a finalist for the Vezina Trophy given to the top goalie in the NHL this season after winning it in 2013 and 2017, has a track record of doing that. In five previous games following a loss this postseason, he is 4-1 with a 1.97 GAA and .914 save percentage.
"I think his ability to come back, he's very mentally strong," Panthers forward Vladimir Tarasenko said. "He worked a lot on his mental toughness during the years and he's just such a good guy to be around. He always cares about his teammates, always in a good mood and it's just nice to be around him, as well."
