Sergei Bobrovsky, the Florida Panthers’ goaltender, has had an eventful NHL season. Over the past eight months, he has been both maligned and lionized, built up and counted out, considered both a No. 1 starter and a secondary afterthought. However, Bobrovsky has managed to survive and eventually thrive through a tumultuous season.
Florida’s Playoffs Run
Bobrovsky has been saving his best work for the postseason, leading the Panthers to the Eastern Conference final. The team is currently up 3-0 against the Carolina Hurricanes, with one win away from the franchise’s second Stanley Cup Final appearance. Bobrovsky has an impressive record, with a .935 save percentage, 2.15 goals-against average, one shutout, and even one assist.
The Panthers’ playoff run has been improbable, given that they battled their way into clinching a playoff berth in the final week. The team turned an abysmal start of 18-19-4 into a late-season crescendo, eventually capturing the Eastern Conference’s final spot.
The Journey to the Conference Final
Bobrovsky reappeared right at the time when he could have been written off. When the Panthers started their unlikely playoff run, Alex Lyon had usurped Bobrovsky, who was felled by illness late in the regular season, as Florida’s go-to goaltender. It took Lyon faltering in the Panthers’ first-round series against the Boston Bruins for Bobrovsky to get another chance. Since then, no one has checked the rearview mirror, least of all Lyon.
Bobrovsky’s $10 million annual salary is the richest backing for any active NHL netminder. Before landing in South Florida, Bobrovsky was backstopping the Columbus Blue Jackets and cementing his name as one of the league’s top goaltenders, with two Vezina Trophy wins in 2012-13 and 2016-17. When Bobrovsky hit free agency on July 1, 2019, the Panthers swooped in with a seven-year, $70 million contract offer to theoretically cement Bobrovsky, then 31, as the team’s starter for the remainder of his career.
This season was not exceptional for Bobrovsky. He started out poorly, producing a 12-13-2 record with .897 SV% and 3.24 GAA through mid-January when he was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body issue. However, time away did him good, and he returned in February with a 12-4-1 run, with a .915 SV% and 2.54 GAA.
Skidding out of March with three straight losses led to a long illness for Bobrovsky, a stretch where Florida turned back to Lyon. However, it was Lyon who subsequently led the Panthers to six straight wins and helped propel them into that final playoff spot.
Bobrovsky’s Playoffs Performance
Bobrovsky’s performance in the playoffs is what matters most now. He capped off the Bruins’ series with three straight wins to send Florida into the second round. Bobrovsky dominated that next series against the Toronto Maple Leafs at 4-1-0, with a .943 SV% and 1.89 GAA as the Panthers bid adieu to the Leafs in five games.
Bobrovsky has been even better taking on Carolina in the conference final. Florida jumped out to a 3-0 series lead with Bobrovsky stopping 132 of 135 shots, and he hasn’t allowed a goal since the opening two minutes of Game 2. Not one of the Hurricanes’ forwards have scored an even-strength goal. It was Bobrovsky’s first playoff shutout that powered Florida to an electrifying 1-0 win in Game 3 where they were outshot, 32-17.
Bobrovsky’s good-natured energy, that ability to stay humble and focused, is what’s stood out to his teammates all along. Regardless of what the outside world had to say, Bobrovsky didn’t let past performance determine his future potential.
Final Thoughts
Bobrovsky’s performance in the playoffs has been remarkable, and he deserves most of the credit for the Panthers’ current position. The team is coming in as a wild-card seed, and it’s almost a prerequisite the goalie comes in and is special this time of year. If Florida wins Game 4, they will be back in the Stanley Cup Final, and it will be for a dozen different reasons. However, none are more paramount than how Bobrovsky has stepped up to star in a Cinderella season.
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