Bobrovsky named NHL Third Star in March; went 7-0 for Florida Panthers

Sergei Bobrovsky had a tough month of March as he missed two weeks of starts for the Florida Panthers after being struck in the mouth by an errant puck while sitting on the bench in Los Angeles.

When he was on the ice, however, it was a pretty good month for the Florida goalie.

On Friday, the NHL named Bobrovsky one of its Three Stars of March after he capped his month with a 37-save shutout of the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday night.

It was the second shutout for Bobrovsky in March as he sandwiched the month with bagels; his first start of the month was an 18-save performance in a 3-0 win over Ottawa.

Bobrovsky went 7-0 in March with a 2.13 goals-against average and .924 save percentage.

He has three shutouts this season after having one in his first two campaigns with the Panthers.

• FHN TODAY: Amid strife, Sergei Bobrovsky says his focus is on the Florida Panthers

“He gives us a chance to win every night and it wasn’t any different today,’’ Sasha Barkov said on Thursday night.

“He has always been unbelievable for us. We trust him. We are real lucky to have him.”

Bobrovsky has won seven consecutive games for the seventh time in his career and first time since March 4-22, 2018 with Columbus. He is two wins away from tying Roberto Luongo for the franchise record for consecutive wins set in 2015-16.

The 33-year-old native of Novokuznetsk, Russia, is a two-time Vezina Trophy winner who has played in 44 games this season.

Bobrovsky is second in the NHL with 33 wins (33-6-3) and has a 2.55/.916.

On Thursday, the Panthers set a franchise record with their 28th home victory; Bobrovsky has won 21 of them.

“It has been great,’’ he said of playing in Sunrise. “We have unbelievable support. The building energizes us, and it is so much fun to play. It is home, and it really feels like home.”

Bobrovsky was honored with Nashville defenseman Roman Josi and Calgary forward Johnny Gaudreau.

In January, Jonathan Huberdeau was named the NHL’s first star for January; Anton Lundell was also recognized as the league’s top rookie that month.

GAME CHANGES

The Panthers have had a couple of future games picked up by ESPN.

Florida’s game at Detroit on April 17 will be a national broadcast on ESPN and will start at 1 p.m.

The regular-season home finale against the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 24 will start at 7 and be exclusively streamed on ESPN+ and Hulu.

UP NEXT FOR THE FLORIDA PANTHERS

FLORIDA PANTHERS AT NEW JERSEY DEVILS 

• When: Saturday, 12:30 p.m.
• Where: Prudential Center, Newark
• Tickets: CLICK HERE
• TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida/NHL Network
• Radio: WQAM 560/SiriusXM
• Last season: Did not play
• Season series — Tied 1-1: @New Jersey 7, Florida 3 (Nov. 9); @Florida 4, New Jersey 1(Nov. 18)
• All-time regular season series: Devils lead 56-33-6, 7 ties