SUNRISE, Fla. – After stopping all 35 shots he faced in a 4-0 win over the Colorado Avalanche on Saturday, Sergei Bobrovsky said his teammates “made him a star.”
On Monday, the NHL decided to do the same.
Going 2-0-0 with a .966 save percentage and that aforementioned shutout of Colorado, Bobrovsky was named the NHL’s Second Star of the Week for the week ending Feb. 11.
Of the 58 shots he faced last week, he stopped all but two of them.
The other stars were Calgary's Jacob Markstrom (First Star) and Montreal's Nick Suzuki (Third Star).
“It gives us so much confidence when he’s back there and he’s feeling it,” forward Sam Bennett said. “When he’s making huge saves, it just gives us that extra boost out there.”
Bobrovsky began his week with a 21-save performance in a 4-2 win over the Capitals, his first taste of action since the All-Star Game. From there, he then blanked the Avalanche in his next start, with 15 of his 35 saves coming during an incredibly impressive first period.
Over those two games, he stopped 15 of the 16 high-danger shots that came his way.
“He always makes that big save when we need it,” defenseman Brandon Montour said.
Picking up right where he left off in last year’s playoffs, Bobrovsky has been a calming presence between the pipes for the Panthers all season. Third in the NHL with 25 wins, he’s recorded a 2.43 goals-against average with a .913 save percentage and three shutouts.
Per MoneyPuck.com, he’s also saved 10.1 goals above expected.
“We rally around his good play,” Bennett said. “He’s done it a bunch for us this year.”
The latest star in South Florida to be honored by the NHL, Bobrovsky joins Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk as Panthers that have earned Star of the Week awards this season.
