George Richards, FHN Publisher
SUNRISE — It may have only been Game No. 20 in an 82-game marathon, but the Florida Panthers got what felt like a much-needed win Wednesday night.
The postgame room conveyed a feeling of relief after the Panthers snapped a three-game losing streak after dropping four of five.
Spencer Knight, the Panthers’ 21-year-old goalie, was nothing but smiles as he was congratulated by teammates, coaches and the guy who sits just to his right in the dressing room.
Sergei Bobrovsky, a light blue Panthers cap sitting askew atop his head, gave Knight a hard fistbump and a big smile when someone told them how many saves were made in that night’s win against the first-place Boston Bruins.
“Yeah man,’’ Bobrovsky said after Knight made 37 stops in Florida’s 5-2 win against a Bruins team which has been running away with the Atlantic Division.
Knight knew this was a game his team really needed to win.
A loss to Boston on Wednesday would not have been good for the team’s psyche going into the final home game Saturday night before a five-game trip to western Canada and Seattle.
For only being the 20th game of the season, this one definitely felt like it had some weight to it.
“They are a great team, they have so much depth from the goaltending to all four lines,” Knight told Florida Hockey Now. “They are a very impressive team. They are doing extremely well and there is a reason for that.
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“It was one of those things for us, that when you’re going through some struggles, it just reminds you of the little things. In the short time I have been here, I have tried not to get too high or too low. We have had stretches where we have not lost for a while and other times where we slide a bit. It’s part of the game. We have to keep a level head.”
Knight has been looked at as the Panthers’ latest ‘goalie-of-the-future’ ever since the team took him with the 13th overall pick just days before signing Bobrovsky to what was then the biggest contract in franchise history in 2019.
After two seasons at Boston College, Knight joined the team near the tail-end of the 2021 season and was expected to get just one start.
He ended up making three — as well as what would be the final two in the first-round loss to the Lightning.
Knight was with the Panthers to start last season but after Bobrovsky got off to a scorching hot start, he did not see much playing time. He looked rusty in his rare starts and eventually was sent to AHL Charlotte to get some legitimate playing time.
That did the trick as he was solid for the Panthers in the final few months last season.
This season, he has been getting more playing time and has been taking advantage of it.
Wednesday night was his ninth start and he will make No. 10 on Saturday night against the St. Louis Blues.
Florida obviously needs one of its goalies to get on a roll and, right now Knight will get that chance.
The expectation is that he will not only start Saturday but Monday night in Edmonton as well.
Bobrovsky would likely get back in net Tuesday against Calgary.
“He’s very calm. Everybody knows he’s still a young goalie, but whenever he is there, you just have that confidence in him,’’ Sasha Barkov said. “He makes the saves, he makes the first saves. Everybody trusts him, so it’s really good to have that type of guy in the net.’’
When it comes to Knight’s skills, it is apparent he is a special talent.
He moves very well laterally, does not fight the puck very much and is rarely caught out of position.
But as Paul Maurice said Wednesday night, one trait all great goalies have is the ability to give up a goal — and forget about it.
”He gets stronger in every game he plays for us,” Maurice said. “All the good, young goaltenders have short memories because they have a confidence in their ability to get better. They are not worried about their place in the game. They know they are going to be great goalies. Spencer knows he is going to be a great goaltender so he can let one he doesn’t like go and build.”
The biggest thing the Panthers have lauded Knight for since he arrived in South Florida is his maturity, his preparation and his capacity to let goals go.
One goal allowed rarely leads to a second.
It is a mindset Knight prides himself on.
A short memory, for a goalie, is a good thing to have.
“It’s big and it is really important for a goalie because there are times you get criticized when it is not deserved and praised when your teammates are the ones who deserve that,” Knight said. ”I try to stay level headed. I only value my opinion of myself and the people around me who are close to me.”
Wednesday night, Knight gave up two goals to the Bruins but there is no way he had a chance on either. Florida was killing a 5-on-3 chance on both, the Boston shooter all alone in the high slot for a slapshot.
Knight grinned when asked about the goals he gave up.
Although no one blames him for giving them up, he would not mind having another shot at them.
“I expect myself to stop everything but I won’t dwell on it,” said Knight, who signed a three-year extension with the team worth $4.5 million annually which kicks in next season.
“Tip your cap to the shooter for making a great shot, but I am not going to dwell on it.”
PANTHERS ON DECK
ST. LOUIS BLUES AT FLORIDA PANTHERS
- When: Saturday, 6:30 p.m.
- Where: FLA Live Arena, Sunrise
- TV/Streaming: Bally Sports Florida, ESPN+
- Radio: WPOW 96.5-FM2; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932
- Last season: Split 1-1
- All-time regular season series: St. Louis leads 24-12-1, 3 ties