JetBlue 2019-20 Season Rewind: Sergei Bobrovsky

Sergei Bobrovsky is eager to put this past season behind him.
In his first tour of duty with the Florida Panthers after joining the organization on a seven-year deal last offseason, the 32-year-old goaltender went 23-19-6 with a 3.23 goals-against average, .900 save percentage and one shutout during a tough pandemic-shortened 2019-20 campaign.

However, given that he's been of the NHL's top netminders over the past decade, new Panthers general manager Bill Zito is confident that Bobrovsky's struggles are just an anomaly, as the two-time Vezina Trophy winner owned a career .919 save percentage before this past year.
"Cut the guy a little slack," Zito, who got to know Bobrovsky during his time as an assistant general manager in Columbus from 2013-19,
said during an interview with Sportsnet earlier this month
. "It's a new environment, different structure, a different team, different system. If I'm going to bet on anybody to right the ship, to figure out what he needs to do to improve himself, it's that guy. Whatever it is he can do on his own, he's doing it. I'm nonplussed. [Bobrovsky] will be fine."
While Bobrovsky's season as a whole didn't fully live up to expectations, there were stretches in which the Novokuznetsk, Russia native looked almost infallible. Looking back, no other time was that more true than when he started three games in four nights heading into the All-Star break.
Returning to the crease after missing two games with an injury, Bobrovsky, clearly no worse for wear, stopped a combined 88 of 96 shots (.917 save percentage) to send the Panthers into a playoff spot with three straight road wins over Detroit, Minnesota and Chicago from Jan. 18-21.
"It was an important game with points in the bank," Bobrovsky, who went 8-3-0 over 11 starts before the break, said after dismissing the Blackhawks. "It will help us. We have a good break now to reset, refocus, re-energize and get ready for the most important part of the season."
Like the rest of the Panthers, Bobrovsky unfortunately took a step back coming out of the break, but was trending upward heading into the home stretch before another injury sidelined him once again. Over his final six starts of the regular season, he went 3-2-1 with a .921 save percentage.
Staying sharp throughout the roughly four-month lockdown that followed the arrival of COVID-19, Bobrovsky said he was feeling great heading into the NHL's "Return to Play" camp in July.
"I think after four months it is a fresh start," Bobrovsky said during Florida's two-week training camp. "It's been a long time for everybody. We actually had the time to rest and we had the time to train on our own. It's a long time, four months. It is a fresh start and we have to build all the chemistry and all the feelings and atmosphere inside of the locker room from the beginning."
During the Stanley Cup Qualifiers, Bobrovsky helped keep the Panthers in most games. But, alas, the Cats were sent home packing by the New York Islanders in four games. Finishing the series with a .901 save percentage, Bobrovsky surrendered just two goals in two of the games.
Now settled into his new surroundings, he appears poised to bounce back in 2020-21.
"It definitely [stinks] to lose and to end the season like that," Bobrovsky said after a 5-1 loss to New York in Game 4 of the best-of-five series. "But we have a great group of guys. Everybody's working hard and everybody gets good experience from it. We have to learn and move on."

COOL STAT

Bobrovsky continues to get the job done against Detroit.
In two starts against the Red Wings this season, he went 2-0-0 while turning aside 49 of 50 shots for a .980 save percentage. Not simply coasting to victory in those games, he excelled while under duress, stopping 14 of 15 high-danger shots, according to NaturalStatTrick.com
For Bobrovsky, this dominance against Detroit is nothing new. In 22 career games against the Red Wings, he owns an impressive 15-5-1 record with a 1.96 goals-against average and .935 save percentage and three shutouts -- tied for his most shutouts against any single opponent.
Over 1,287:28 of ice time against Detroit in his career, he's allowed just 29 even-strength goals.

BEST GAME

Panthers head coach Joel Quenneville enthusiastically described this game as a "goalie win."
With the playoff push starting to really heat up (this was just a few weeks before the pandemic cut the regular season short), Bobrovsky played simply out of his mind between the pipes while stopping 37 of 38 shots to help guide the Panthers to a crucial 2-1 victory at Arizona on Feb. 25.
"I think it's the team that was the first star," Bobrovsky said after the win. "They made great blocked shots, great backchecks, perfect timing. They made a hell of a backcheck at the end, the very last second. It's a great time to play hockey. I thought the guys played great."

Of the 37 shots that Bobrovsky turned aside against the Coyotes - his fifth-most in a game this season -- a whopping 13 of them were from high-danger areas on the ice. Digging even deeper, four of those saves came off rebound attempts, a credit to his mobility and quick reaction skills.
In front of Bobrovsky, Florida's skaters helped out by blocking 12 shots and taking no penalties.
"He stood on his head and did a great job for us," Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said of Bobrovsky's play following the win. "I think we were able to clear pucks out in front of him and did a good job on breakouts. It was a full five-man unit in the D-zone tonight. Our wingers locked down the point and did a good job of really forcing everything to the outside."

SAVE OF THE YEAR

This was a save so nice that he made it twice.
With Frans Nielsen barreling down the ice on a breakaway, Bobrovsky not only denies his initial wrist shot, but also quickly gobbles up a follow-up attempt from Nielsen on the ensuing rebound to keep the Panthers on top 2-1 in the third period of an eventual 4-1 win in Detroit on Jan. 18.
Those epic stops were two of eight high-danger saves Bobrovsky made throughout the contest.

"If it goes to 2-2, it's a completely different game," Panthers defenseman Mark Pysyk said after the game when asked about Bobrovsky's back-to-back saves against Nielsen. "He makes the first one, then the second one. He held strong so they couldn't get it."