FHN TODAY: Bobrovsky Helps Florida Panthers Exit Break With Big Win

SUNRISE — When the Florida Panthers went into the All-Star Break with a thrilling last-second comeback win over the Boston Bruins, they were hoping it would give them a boost of confidence coming into their final stretch of the season.

So far, so good.

On Monday night, the Panthers took down the Tampa Bay Lightning 7-1.

“It is definitely a great feeling. It is a great two points for us. It is huge,” Sergei Bobrovsky said I thought the guys did a great job from start to finish. We beat a really good team too so its big for us, we have to build from it.”

Bobrovsky returned for his first start sustaining a lower-body injury on Jan. 19 and stopped 32 of 33 shots to help the Panthers to victory.

“In a 7-1 win you think a goalie is not a factor, but he was a factor,” coach Paul Maurice said. 

“There was a tip early in that first period that he got his pad out on. Real big on the penalty kill, the breakaway on a broken play, the right saves at the right time are so critical…He just kept the game settled.”

FLORIDA HOCKEY NOW

Matthew Tkachuk made a statement with a five-point performance in the Panthers’ win over the Lightning.

He made some Panthers history in the process.

— The Panthers were without captain Sasha Barkov for the second half of Monday’s win but Maurice said he hopes to have him back on Thursday night.

— Anthony Duclair has yet to shed the yellow, non-contact jersey, but he is getting closer and closer to a return to the lineup.

— Radko Gudas has left a mark on his opponents over the years, but the hard-hitting defenseman has also left an impact on the Panthers.

— In case you missed it, Matthew Tkachuk earned MVP honors in his (new) hometown NHL All-Star Game on Saturday.

— The Tkachuk Brothers grew up competing against each other growing up in St. Louis, but Saturday in South Florida, they were on the same team for the first time.

They looked pretty good, too.

— On top of a ton of video from All-Star weekend, Florida Hockey Now’s YouTube channel has all the video content you need to get yourself back up to speed.

We have video from Maurice, Tkachuk, Bobrovsky, and Eric Staal from last night’s big win over Tampa.

Click RIGHT HERE to see everything all in one place and if you hit subscribe (it’s free), you will know when new content comes up.

NATIONAL HOCKEY NOW

Bo Horvat made his New York Islanders debut a day after signing an eight-year extension and he saw a lot of good out of it.

The Isles defeated the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1 with their new star player being held off the scoreboard.

— Wondering where the Vegas Golden Knights original expansion draft picks are?

VHN’s Owen Krepps has you covered. (Spoiler Alert: Both Panthers from that expansion draft remain in Vegas.)

— Could the Boston Bruins be interested in Timo Meier?

— Speaking of the San Jose Sharks, ex-Panther James Reimer has not spoken to the team about his future.

— Montreal Hockey Now ranks the Top 64 prospects in the 2023 NHL Draft.

PANTHERS ON DECK

SAN JOSE SHARKS AT FLORIDA PANTHERS

• When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
• Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+
• Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
• Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
• Last season: Florida won 2-0
  
• This season — Florida leads 1-0: Panthers 4, Sharks 3 (Nov. 3)
• All-time regular season series: Florida leads 20-13-1, 7 ties
• Up Next for the Panthers: Saturday vs. Colorado, 6 p.m