George Richards, FHN Publisher
When the national media talks about the Florida Panthers going into the playoffs, one point of concern is the team’s goaltending.
It is perceived as the team’s weakness.
With a team as good as Florida is, you have to try and find a soft spot somewhere.
Who will start Game 1 of the playoffs for the Panthers is not known just yet. The odds-on favorite to go in the opener would be veteran Sergei Bobrovsky.
Rookie Spencer Knight, who celebrates his 21st birthday today, could be the starter as well.
The Panthers figure with the way both goalies have been playing of late, there is no wrong choice.
Florida looks at it this way: They have two goalies. The hot hand plays.
“Both of them have been rock-solid here of late and basically all year,” coach Andrew Brunette said. “There was a stretch there where maybe the group wasn’t playing that well in front of them. They are both extremely sharp right now. That’s good to see.”
It has been a bit of a roller-coaster ride for both goalies this season.
Bobrovsky looked terrific for a large swath of the season — he was the NHL Third Star for the month of March — before hitting a rough patch.
It appears he has moved past that. In his past three starts, Bobrovsky has given up a total of six goals .
On Friday night, Bobrovsky made 30 saves in Florida’s 6-1 win over Winnipeg to give him his 36th win of the season.
That surpassed Roberto Luongo for most wins in a single season for a Florida goalie.
“To be honest, I did not know about it until after the game when they gave me the puck,” said Bobrovsky, who is 36-6-3 this season. “It is a team record. It’s not about me, it’s about the team. I did not get this by myself. We’re a strong team but individually, we’re nothing.”
The only numbers Bobrovsky says he ever cares about anyway are the wins, so based on that, this season has been a rousing success.
Coming into Monday, Bobrovsky’s 36 wins are second in the league, one back of Nashville’s Jusse Saros in 15 fewer games played.
”The wins, yes, are most important,” Bobrovsky said. “That’s what we play for. We want to win every game, every period, every shift. That’s the goal.’’
His other numbers (2.67 GAA, .912 save percentage, 6.71 goals-saved above average) are more middle of the pack.
Solid, not spectacular.
On this team, however, there are some concessions to be made. Florida is the highest-scoring team in the league by a large margin and are middle of the league defensively. It is a trade off they are fine with.
“He has had a great season,” Brunette said. “I know the last little bit, he would like a couple of those games back. But his work as a whole has been pretty impressive. Good for him. He’s another guy in this group setting franchise milestones here.”
Knight, meanwhile, has been steadily solid since coming back from a monthlong stay with the AHL Charlotte Checkers.
After losing 5-2 to the New York Rangers on Feb. 1, Knight went to Charlotte and got nine starts — going 6-3-0 with a 2.67/.911 and two shutouts.
“It definitely helped me,” Knight said earlier this month. “Practicing is one thing, but I kind of drive myself crazy when I’m practicing too much. I’m kind of overthinking it, whereas when you’re playing, you’re just playing and that’s what I love to do. …
“I just like to play games and that’s why I’m here. It was nice to mix in some games with a good group in Charlotte.”
Since returning, Knight has been nothing if not strong in net.
The rookie — who made his debut with the Panthers last spring and ended up winning Game 5 of the Tampa Bay series — has not only won his past five games (two in relief of Bobrovsky), but has only given up 23 goals in 12 games.
Knight may be young, that has been established, but the Panthers have plenty of faith that if he gets the net, he’s going to be fine.