Dynamic Duo: Bobrovsky, Stolarz both off to hot starts for Panthers

No matter who’s in net, the Florida Panthers feel great.

Teaming up to create one of the top one-two punches between the pipes in the NHL early this season, goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Anthony Stolarz have both gotten off to hot starts.

Helping the Panthers sink their teeth into second place in the Atlantic Division with a record of 14-7-2, Bobrovsky has gone 11-6-1 with a .912 save percentage and two shutouts, while Stolarz, who inked a one-year deal with Florida this past summer, is 3-1-1 with a .929 save percentage.

Standing tall while backstopping the Panthers to five of six points on team’s recent road trip through Canada, the dynamic puck-stopping duo combined to stop 72 of 74 shots (.973%).

“I like the way they treat each other,” Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of the team’s goaltending tandem. “I like the way those two guys practice. They practice hard. They challenge the shooters. They’re really competitive in their own way. It sets a nice tone for us in the net.” 

When asked about their success, both Bobrovsky and Stolarz tipped their caps to their D-men.

By adding newcomers Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov and Niko Mikkola to a defensive corps that already included Aaron Ekblad, Gustav Forsling and Brandon Montour, the Panthers suddenly have one of the deepest backends in the NHL in terms of both talent and experience.

With both Ekblad and Montour missing the first 16 games of the season while recovering from offseason surgeries, Josh Mahura and Uvis Balinskis also stepped up in a big way to hold down the fort.

“I thought the guys did a great job in front of me,” Bobrovsky said after stopping 21 of 22 shots in Thursday’s 5-1 win over the Canadiens at Bell Centre. “I just have to complement their game, stay focused and step up when it’s needed. I thought the guys played a great game.”

With their goaltending and defense in sync, the Panthers rank fourth in the NHL with 2.48 goals allowed per game.

By comparison, they ranked 21^st last season with 3.32 goals allowed per tilt.

In all situations, Bobrovsky (4.0) and Stolarz (3.3) have combined to save 7.3 goals above expected.

“We stay consistent with our game,” Bobrovsky said. “We don’t overthink. We just do our structure over and over, again and again. We rely on it and we trust each other to do that.”

Settling into a groove last month, Bobrovsky led the NHL with eight wins in November.

He also tied Vegas' Adin Hill for the most shutouts with two.

“A shutout is teamwork,” Bobrovsky said after gobbling up all 20 shots that came his way in a 5-0 win at Ottawa on Monday. “I appreciate my teammates for all the hard work they put in.”

As for Stolarz, he’s been particularly strong in sticky situations.

Of the 29 high-danger shots that he’s faced at 5-on-5 this season, he’s stopped 27 of them.

As it stands now, his .931 high-danger save percentage places him first among all NHL goaltenders.

“I just continue to work hard in practice,” Stolarz said after making 31 saves in a 2-1 shootout loss at Toronto on Tuesday. “I’ve said this over and over, but it’s kind of something that I’ve gotten used to over the years. You look at the way Bobby’s been playing, and he’s been playing tremendous. It’s just up to me to just stay ready. I kind of thrive when my name’s called.”

With their goaltending in good hands, the Panthers are in a great spot heading into December.

*Statistics courtesy of NaturalStatTrick.com and MoneyPuck.com