FORT LAUDERDALE – “Bob-by! Bob-by!”
With fans cheering on his every save, cool, calm and collected goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has helped backstop the Florida Panthers to their second consecutive Stanley Cup Final appearance.
“Sergei is an intelligent man and a very focused man, and he has designed a program that allows him to be great at this point in his career,” head coach Paul Maurice said after Tuesday’s practice. “We got a lot of very committed athletes in there that that work very, very hard and their nutrition is right, but I don't know that I've met somebody like Sergei, and I bet I know about 10 percent of it.”
At 35 years old, Bobrovsky’s commitment to his craft continues to show throughout the playoffs.
Per NHL Stats, Bobrovsky’s 1.89 goals-against average in the Eastern Conference Final against the New York Rangers was the second-best goals-against average in a series by a Panthers goaltender since John “Beezer” Vanbiesbrouck posted a mark of 1.68 during the 1996 Conference Semi-Final.
Going head-to-head against some of the league’s best goalies in Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy, Boston’s Jeremy Swayman and New York’s Igor Shesterkin – a murders’ row of exceptional puck-stoppers – during this year’s playoffs, Bobrovsky has managed to come out on top every matchup.
“He’s been really good,” forward Anton Lundell said of his netminder’s stellar play. “Best goalie in the world, in my opinion. To have him on my team is unreal. We try to help him a lot and make the job as easy as possible for him. Overall, we’re all happy just following him and having him here.”
Helping the Panthers get past three powerhouses in the Lightning (Round 1), Bruins (Round 2) and Rangers (Round 3), Bobrovsky surrendered two goals or fewer in 13 of the 17 games that he started.
Getting better each and every time he takes his place between the pipes, Bobrovsky has posted a .926 save percentage in his last eight starts leading up to the Stanley Cup Final, including stopping 23 of 24 shots in a series-clinching win over the Rangers in Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Final.
Never getting too high or too low, Bobrovsky, who always talks about the “next save” or “next moment” during interviews, has cemented himself as the even-keeled anchor for the Panthers.
Seeing his passion and commitment every day, his teammates are inspired to push even harder.
“To see somebody that committed that's inspiring,” said Maurice. “When you're rolling out of bed in the morning, you don't feel like doing the video, you're kind of going well Bob's (Bobrovsky) probably already got three hours in working on something. I better get to the rink.”
With 12 wins down and four more to go if the Panthers hope to claim their first Stanley Cup, Bobrovsky and the Panthers will host the Oilers for Game 1 at Amerant Bank Arena on Saturday.
For tickets, click HERE.
