George Richards, FHN Publisher
SUNRISE — It has been a while since Sergei Bobrovsky has been tasked with carrying the load for a team desperately trying to make the playoffs, but the Florida Panthers hope he is up to do it again.
By the sounds of things, he is.
As things stand right now, Bobrovsky is back to being Florida’s No. 1 starter.
While Spencer Knight will get a chance to play here in these final 29 games, the Panthers are giving the net to Bobrovsky as they try and go on a big final stretch run.
“We thought we would split our goaltenders through January,” coach Paul Maurice said.
“The idea was to come out of the break, someone would grab the ball and go with it. He looks sharp, looks on. … It’s Bob’s time now to get this opportunity.’’
In his years with the Columbus Blue Jackets, many nights Bobrovsky was the difference between winning and losing — and down the stretch, he helped lift his team in to the postseason.
He is used to the pressures which come with meaningful games in the regular season and knows the Panthers do not have much wiggle room if they want to catch the teams ahead of them.
Going into Thursday’s games, Florida is three points back of Pittsburgh for the final spot with the Islanders and Sabres in front of them.
”For sure, I am excited about this opportunity and what is in front of us,” he told FHN on Tuesday, a night after he made 32 saves in a 7-1 win over the Lightning. “We are competing for a playoff spot, fighting for our goal.
“We have been working so hard, learning the system and learning the coach. We did not get many of the results we wanted, but we put in unbelievable work and we’re all excited moving forward. Every game is a big game. We’re trying to build and we got some points before the break. We need to keep digging in, keep getting points. Success pulls us closer together.”
The Panthers have a road trip coming up with a set of back-to-backs in Minnesota and St. Louis so expect Knight to get one of those games.
But the Panthers have been looking for a goalie to go on a run all season.
Before getting hurt before the All-Star break and missing the final five games, Bobrovsky was on quite a roll.
”We will get Spencer in games,” Maurice said. “With goaltending, you always have an idea but the production of the game decides who plays. Bob now, for me, for the past month has looked really sharp and really aggressive in the net. The rest was good for him. He’s back to 100 percent. He gets to practice, which he likes. He is a practice goalie. We think he is a good position to run.”
In November, it was Knight who took over as Bobrovsky struggled in one of his worst stints since signing with the Panthers in 2019.
But when Knight was pulled Dec. 6 in Winnipeg and then got whatever the rest of the team caught, Bobrovsky started playing like his old self again.
While his numbers are still lower than last year, they have been trending up since that awful November and the Panthers have put more and more on his shoulders.
In November, Bobrovsky only stopped 86 percent of shots faced and was averaging close to five goals allowed per night.
He gave up four goals or more in four of his six starts and was pulled on Nov. 17 after giving up four in the first to Dallas.
Knight, meanwhile, gave the Panthers a chance to win almost every time he got the call.
“It is what it is. That is the situation and I am trying to get better,” Bobrovsky said at the time. “I am trying to be at my best when I get the chance to play.”
Things have certainly turned around and Bobrovsky’s teammates noticed his even-keeled approach to things when they were not going very well at all.
“He is always focused and could be the most focused player I have ever been with,” Brandon Montour said.
“He works so hard. When things are down, he works the same way as if things were great. The hockey odds are, if you keep working, good things are going to happen. He has shown that throughout his career in how successful he has been.”
Bobrovsky is known for being a player who does not like to talk about what happened yesterday nor looking ahead to tomorrow.
He is a players who likes to focus on the immediate.
Still, when talking about November, he admits things did not go that well for himself or the Panthers.
“Every season brings its own challenges,’’ he said. “You have to remember that it is a long season, keep your mind clean. That’s the most important thing about understanding where you are. And when that opportunity presents itself, you have to do your best to help the team win.
“Whether it is a big win or a tough loss, you have to keep the same mentality. When things are not going your way, you have to stay composed and stay patient and keep up the work. Sometimes it is a challenge to tell yourself that.”