(Sunrise) Prior to the start of the Stanley Cup Finals, Sergei Bobrovsky was the NHL’s goalie of the hour.
He helped the Florida Panthers win 11 of 12 games and stopped 438 of 465 shots he faced during that streak, posting a 1.95 GAA and .942 save percentage. In two outings in the final against the Vegas Golden Knights, Bobrovsky allowed eight goals in just 87 minutes of play, having been knocked out of the net in Game 2.
Still, and because of what he’s accomplished since the start of the playoffs, coach Paul Maurice expressed full confidence in seeing “Bob” redeem himself in Game 3 on Thursday.
“He was very, very good in the first game,” Maurice recalled Tuesday before the team returned to Florida. I think Sergei was like the rest of the team in the second game. He wasn’t quite himself. We did not help him. Maybe he didn’t slow down the opponent early in the game. But we have confidence that he will be able to do so in the next meeting. »
Alex Lyon did little better in relief for Bobrovsky in Game 2, allowing three goals on 15 shots in what became a 7-2 loss for the Panthers and a 2-0 deficit in the series.
Bobrovsky, 34, has rarely been used as much as in the last few weeks of his 13-season NHL career. The two-time Vézina Trophy winner is enjoying his best playoff run with 16 outings, including 15 starts, and 11 wins.
He hadn’t allowed four goals in a game this spring, before doing so in the first two games against the Golden Knights.
As they prepare to host their first Stanley Cup Finals game since 1996, the Panthers could be without a few important items on Thursday.
Center Eetu Luostarinen is “not ready yet,” Maurice said, after the Finn missed the first two games of the series. The presence of robust defender Radko Gudas is also uncertain. Gudas was injured early in Game 2 against the Golden Knights while attempting to tackle Ivan Barbashev.
Maurice did not offer an update on the condition of those players, but he did recall that the Panthers already won a game this spring after captain Aleksander Barkov fell in action.
“It’s like that in the playoffs. There are guys who are going to get hurt, Maurice said. But these are great opportunities to seize for those who replace them. »
Forward Zac Dalpe and defender Casey Fitzgerald could feature in Game 3, if needed.
