Bobrovsky unflappable for Panthers during latest run in Stanley Cup Playoffs

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Sergei Bobrovsky has learned during his 14 seasons as an NHL goalie that he can't control most of what's going on in front of him, so he concentrates on what he can.

When the Florida Panthers dictate play territorially, like they have for much of the Eastern Conference Second Round against the Boston Bruins, Bobrovsky has gone long stretches without facing a shot before suddenly needing to stop a high-danger chance.

Then there are other times, such as a 2-1 loss in Game 5 on Tuesday, when the desperate Bruins had the Panthers on their heels and Bobrovsky had to make save after save to keep his team close.

Bobrovsky is prepared for either type of game.

"It is what it is," he said. "I'm not choosing what they're going to throw at me, what's going to happen around me. I try to keep my attention, keep my focus and stay with the moment."

That approach has served Bobrovsky and the Panthers well throughout the Stanley Cup Playoffs and is one of the reasons they lead the Bruins 3-2 in the best-of-7 series with a second chance to close it out in Game 6 at TD Garden in Boston on Friday.

Although Florida failed in its first try, Bobrovsky was not the reason. He made 26 saves, including 12 in the first period, when the Panthers were outshot 13-4 to keep their deficit at 1-0. Even after Boston took a 2-1 lead on Charlie McAvoy's goal at 10:25 of the second, Bobrovsky kept Florida within striking distance.

He made a left pad stop on Jake DeBrusk on a breakaway at 14:25, and another on Trent Frederic's follow-up a second later. Then he made a glove save on Pavel Zacha on a short-handed break at 2:13 of the third.

"You go to our first round with [the Tampa Bay Lightning] and we've had a whole lot of quiet first periods for Sergei, which has been a challenge," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said. "I think what happened is Sergei finally got into a game where he got some action early and was able to ride that straight through. … But he got some action early and I think that looked more like a 'Bob' game. He made two or three really big saves."

After Florida limited Boston to 18 shots or fewer in winning each of the previous three games, Boston pushed back Tuesday with its most aggressive game of the series shooting the puck. The Panthers also weren't as sharp passing it, which led to them having trouble breaking out of the defensive zone and turnovers that led to Bruins scoring chances.

The Bruins had a 9-7 edge in high-danger shots, according to NHL EDGE Puck and Player Tracking, a significant turnaround from Game 4 on Sunday when the Panthers dominated with a 14-6 advantage in a 3-2 victory.

"There was a little more action that was around my net," Bobrovsky said. "Boston is a good team. They have good guys, skill guys, so it's a tight series. All the games are tight, so it's fun."

A two-time Vezina Trophy winner (2013, 2017) voted as the top goalie in the NHL and a finalist this season, Bobrovsky has seen almost every situation in the regular season and playoffs, including a trip to the Stanley Cup Final with the Panthers last season. The Bruins are trying to reverse their fortunes and rally from down 3-1 after the Panthers overcame a 3-1 series deficit to defeat them in the first round last season, but Florida knows it can rely on Bobrovsky's calming influence regardless of the kind of game it may face in Game 6.

"He's so mentally dialed in," Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe said. "You see it in his preparation every day. He's so focused. He comes to the rink every day with that kind of mentality. I'm not too worried about Bob. He's doing something back there. We just let him be."

Although Bobrovsky's 2.51 goals-against average and .896 save percentage in his 10 playoff starts don't jump off the page, particularly when compared to Bruins goalie Jeremy Swayman's 2.16 GAA and .933 save percentage, Maurice said those numbers are not fair indicators of his level of play.

"I think it's been incredibly difficult for him in some ways up until last game because he's had long stretches of inactivity and then, there's 15 other playoff teams, you're playing a good team," Maurice said. "When they get their chances, they've got really good players, so I've kind of marveled at the way he's able to keep his focus. He's just absolutely not stats driven. The idea that he's under the .900 mark (in save percentage), I don't think he pays any attention to it. We certainly don't."

Perhaps a better barometer is Bobrovsky's .875 save percentage on high-danger shots in the playoffs (compared to Swayman's .843), according to NHL EDGE. That's best among goalies to play at least five games.

It's also the timeliness of his saves. After the Panthers fell behind 2-0 in the first period of Game 4, the Bruins made a push at the start of the second and Bobrovsky prevented them from extending their lead with multiple key saves, including one with his blocker on Danton Heinen cutting to the net at 4:57. Florida began to play better later in the period and scored three unanswered goals to win the game.

"We trust in Bob," Florida forward Anton Lundell said. "He's always ready. We don't have to worry about him. He worries about himself."

And Bobrovsky, 35, doesn't appear to worry about much. If he goes more than 16 minutes of playing time without facing a shot -- like during a Boston drought bridging the end of the second period and start of the third in the Panthers' 6-1 win in Game 2 -- he shrugs it off as part of the job.

"I try to just stay with the moment, what the moment presents, and stick with it," he said. "I don't think much about what is happening, how many shots or stuff like that. Just stay with the moment and see what's going to happen."

NHL.com independent correspondent George Richards contributed to this report