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How Sergei Bobrovsky transformed into a ‘special’ playoff goaltender for the Panthers

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2 years ago

May 24, 2023

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Kristen Shilton, ESPN NHL reporterMay 24, 2023, 07:00 AM ET
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SUNRISE, Florida — Legend has it a cat possesses nine lives, and always lands on its feet.

Florida Panthers‘ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky seems to have taken those myths to heart.

Like the creature emblazoned on the crest of his sweater, the 34-year-old Bobrovsky has survived — and eventually thrived — through a tumultuous NHL season. In the previous eight months, Bobrovsky has been maligned and lionized, built up and counted out, a No. 1 starter and secondary afterthought.

Through it all, Bobrovsky was saving his best work for this moment, as the Panthers’ postseason hero. Florida is up 3-0 on the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference final, one win away from the franchise’s second Stanley Cup Final appearance, with Game 4 tonight (8 p.m. ET, TNT). Bobrovsky already has the inside track on a Conn Smythe trophy win: 10-2 postseason record, .935 save percentage. 2.15 goals-against average. One shutout. Even one assist.

It’s not how Florida drew things up, of course. That would hardly befit the journey Bobrovsky — or the Panthers themselves — have taken this season.

Florida battled its way into clinching a playoff berth in the final week, turning an abysmal 18-19-4 start into a late-season crescendo capturing the Eastern Conference’s final spot. The Panthers pulled off a blockbuster summer trade for Matthew Tkachuk, saw him put together a 109-point, Hart Trophy-nominated regular season, and kept the faith that Florida’s other stars would eventually catch up.

Bobrovsky reappeared right at the time he could have been written off.

When the Panthers started their unlikely playoff run, Alex Lyon had usurped Bobrovsky — felled by illness late in the regular season — as Florida’s go-to goaltender. It took Lyon faltering in the Panthers’ first-round series against the Boston Bruins for Bobrovsky to get another look. No one’s checked the rearview mirror since — least of all Lyon.

The journeyman might play behind Bobrovsky now, but Lyon has had a front-row seat at Bobrovsky’s master class of preparation — one allowing the veteran to ace these playoffs.

“It’s like a writer being in a room with Ernest Hemingway,” Lyon said of watching Bobrovsky work. “For me to be able to see him operate on a daily basis, that’s literally like striking gold.”

IT’S NOT EXACTLY an investment of precious metals, but Bobrovsky’s $10 million annual salary is the richest backing for any active NHL netminder. The Panthers have been waiting on that stock to mature.

Before landing in South Florida, Bobrovsky was backstopping the Columbus Blue Jackets and cementing his name as one of the league’s top goaltenders, with two Vezina Trophy wins (in 2012-13 and 2016-17). When Bobrovsky hit free agency on July 1, 2019, the Panthers swooped in with a seven-year, $70 million contract offer to theoretically cement Bobrovsky, then 31, as the team’s starter for the remainder of his career.

The road since has been riddled with speed bumps. This season was no exception.

Bobrovsky started out poorly, producing a 12-13-2 record with .897 SV% and 3.24 GAA through mid-January when he was placed on injured reserve with a lower-body issue. Time away clearly did Bobrovsky some good; he returned in February and went on a 12-4-1 run, with a .915 SV% and 2.54 GAA.

Skidding out of March with three straight losses led to a long illness for Bobrovsky, a stretch where Florida turned back to Lyon (Florida’s other netminder, Spencer Knight, had by then entered the NHL’s Player Assistance Program). It was Lyon who subsequently led the Panthers to six straight wins and helped propel them into that final playoff spot.

It was an improbable scenario playing out in the Panthers’ favor, led by a goaltender with all of 24 NHL games under his belt going into this season. Florida coach Paul Maurice chose to ride that hot hand into the Panthers’ first-round matchup against Boston, the Presidents’ Trophy winners who had a record-setting 65-win, 135-point campaign.

Lyon was 1-1 in the series’ first two games. When Florida trailed 4-0 in Game 3, Lyon got the hook. Bobrovsky was back in. He went on to start Game 4 and was rusty in a 25-save performance, but Maurice stuck with him. Once Bobrovsky found his groove it was like turning back a clock to those Vezina-winning days. And Bobrovsky has only gotten better.

He capped off the Bruins’ series with three straight wins to send Florida into the second round. Bobrovsky dominated that next series against the Toronto Maple Leafs at 4-1-0, with a .943 SV% and 1.89 GAA as the Panthers bid adieu to the Leafs in five games.

Somehow, Bobrovsky has improved further taking on Carolina in the conference final. Florida jumped out to a 3-0 series lead with Bobrovsky stopping 132 of 135 shots, and he hasn’t allowed a goal since the opening two minutes of Game 2. Not one of the Hurricanes’ forwards have scored an even-strength goal. And it was Bobrovsky’s first playoff shutout that powered Florida to an electrifying 1-0 win in Game 3 where they were outshot, 32-17.

If you thought Bobrovsky would accept some credit for the feat, you’d be wrong.

“It’s a team structure, how we play,” a deflective Bobrovsky said of his showing in Game 3. “My teammates allow me to play good. The structure and how hard they work in the defensive zone to get that result and to win, it’s not easy for some players to get that role and block shots and sacrifice their stats for that. Our guys have sacrificed themselves for the team result and it’s happy to see.”

That good-natured energy, that ability to stay humble and focused, is what’s stood out to Bobrovsky’s teammates all along. Regardless of what the outside world had to say, Bobrovsky didn’t let past performance determine his future potential.

“I think that’s what’s so great about Bob,” defenseman Brandon Montour said. “People see him as having come to Florida and maybe not performing as well as he used to. But his mindset, his attitude, the way he comes to the rink every day, win or lose, he’s the same guy, [brings] the same stuff. So it’s great that he’s [on] his game, but I feel like in our locker room, we don’t notice much difference. He’s been the same, worked hard, goes about his business and he’s doing it the right way.”

Anyone searching for insight into how exactly Bobrovsky’s been such a dynamo will have to keep looking — because he’s not telling. It’s not for strategy’s sake. Bobrovsky just doesn’t want to dwell on his own success.

“It’s a team effort,” he said of Florida’s run. “It feels in a game like you just play in the moment. There’s no future, no past, you’re just right here, right now. You see what’s going on and you react accordingly. Everyone contribute[s] to the result. It is what it is. I’m fortunate and humble and thank God for this.”

IT WOULD BE EASY for Lyon to resent Bobrovsky.

After a career spent mostly bouncing around the American Hockey League, Lyon was finally experiencing long-awaited NHL success. How frustrating then that right when Lyon stumbled, Bobrovsky suddenly hit his stride. A missed opportunity? Not for the 30-year-old Lyon. It was more a chance to study with his partner.

“I think when you’re a young hockey player, you get caught in the trap of, ‘What’s the one thing that I can do? What’s the secret that’s going to elevate me to Vezina status?'” Lyon mused. “And it’s just a very unhealthy way to think. You can fall into that trap. There’s not one thing that’s going to make you get over the top.

“It’s just about your body of work, showing up consistently, doing the right things on a daily basis. And Bob’s the model of that. For me to just be able to pick and choose what I like and see what works for me, try different things, be around him, it’s great. I’m a learner. I like to learn by process.”

Bobrovsky has certainly been schooling Carolina.

The Hurricanes pelted Florida from every angle in Game 3. They had breakaway tries. Plays off the rush. Hard shifts spent cycling in the Panthers’ end that obviously put Florida’s skaters on their heels.

It was Bobrovsky who kept standing tall.

“[Top goaltenders] can do that when they’re on a stretch like this,” Carolina coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “You’re coming home [after a game] and you just say, ‘I could have four or five.’ That didn’t happen [for us]. It it what it is; he’s playing great.”

If he weren’t, Maurice felt it unlikely that Florida would even be in its current position.

“It’s a piece of the teams get to the [conference final],” he said. “We’re coming in as a wild-card seed; it’s almost a prerequisite the goalie comes in and is special this time of year.”

While Bobrovsky has garnered individual accolades before, this is the closest he’s come in a 13-year career to reaching a Cup Final. Florida went there in 1996. A victory in Game 4 would bring the Panthers back.

If that comes about it will be for a dozen different reasons. None are more paramount than how Bobrovsky has stepped up to star in a Cinderella season.

“It makes me excited, it makes me appreciate it,” Bobrovsky said of being so close to the Cup Final. “I feel good. I’m just enjoying the opportunity and I want to thank God for this position and this game.”

Sports

Power 4 heads unite on Hill, lobby for NIL guidance

Published

8 hours ago

April 10, 2025

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Power 4 heads unite on Hill, lobby for NIL guidance

WASHINGTON — A who’s who of leaders from the Big Ten, SEC, Big 12 and ACC gathered on Capitol Hill on Wednesday to meet with state representatives and lobby for federal NIL guidelines — a strong showing of unity from the NCAA’s largest and wealthiest conferences just days after a federal court hearing inched college athletics closer to a landmark settlement.

University presidents and chancellors, athletic directors and a few coaches and players concluded the day with a cocktail reception at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, where SEC commissioner Greg Sankey, ACC commissioner Jim Phillips, Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark and Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti participated in a brief panel recapping the day.

“We’re kind of in a seminal moment,” Phillips said. “We’re trying to find something that has sustainability to it. It’s a modernization of college sports. I think for all of us, we are passionate about access and affordability to higher education … at the heart of this thing is opportunities for young men and women. Times have changed, and whether we like all the things that have occurred, or we don’t, we find ourselves in a position where we are major stewards of the future of college sports.”

While the commissioners have made multiple trips to the nation’s capital to push for federal NIL legislation, it’s not often — if at all — that such a large contingency from their respective leagues has joined them, and all four at the same time.

Auburn men’s basketball coach Bruce Pearl, fresh off a Final Four appearance, attended the event, along with Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian.

“We’ve been here repeatedly,” Sankey said of the commissioners. “The reality is the timing of the House settlement, the new Congress and when we planned really months ago to be here, there was a nexus of issues. We know there’s conversations taking place. We’ve educated, I think, effectively members of the House and Senate, and we need to keep pushing and to do that with our universities is much healthier than simply doing that as commissioners and doing so in a coordinated way across the four conferences.”

On Monday, there was a federal court hearing in Oakland, California, regarding the highly publicized House settlement in which the NCAA has agreed to pay roughly $2.8 billion in damages to past and current athletes.

Wednesday’s meeting also came on the heels of March Madness and a week from the opening of the spring transfer portal window.

“Everyone knows there’s a sense of urgency,” Yormark said. “Time is not on our side, so we have to move quickly and swiftly.

“The settlement is one thing, but it needs to be codified on the Hill.”

Sports

Tennessee, Ga. Tech set up home-and-home series

Published

13 hours ago

April 9, 2025

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Tennessee, Ga. Tech set up home-and-home series

ESPN News Services

Apr 9, 2025, 04:22 PM ET

Tennessee and Georgia Tech will play a home-and-home football series in 2026 and 2027, the schools announced Wednesday.

The Volunteers will travel to Atlanta to face the Yellow Jackets on Sept. 12, 2026. Sources told ESPN’s Chris Low that that game is likely to be played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and not on campus, but has yet to be finalized.

Georgia Tech will go to Knoxville on Sept. 11, 2027.

The series replaces two games Tennessee had scheduled against Nebraska for 2026 and 2027. Nebraska announced in February that it had backed out of those games.

“After Nebraska canceled the series, our main focus was to secure another home-and-home matchup with an opponent from a Power Four conference, which seemed improbable at the time,” Tennessee athletic director Danny White said. “I sincerely appreciate Athletic Director J Batt’s creativity in modifying Georgia Tech’s schedule to make this series possible.”

Tennessee and Georgia Tech met all but three seasons from 1954 to 1987. Tennessee won the most recent meeting 42-41 in overtime in the 2017 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. The Vols lead the all-time series 25-17-2.

“As we continue to invest in and elevate Georgia Tech football, securing elite-level competition is a critical component,” Batt said. “We’re thrilled to renew our rivalry with Tennessee and look forward to the matchups in Atlanta and Knoxville. I’m confident that our passionate Tech fans will embrace this series!”

The schools are separated by 200 miles, and both were members of the SEC from 1933 until the Yellow Jackets’ departure in 1963. Georgia Tech was an independent until it joined the ACC in 1983.

Georgia Tech also has a nonconference home game with Colorado in 2026.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Sports

Stanley Cup playoff watch: Matchups to monitor Wednesday

Published

22 hours ago

April 9, 2025

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Stanley Cup playoff watch: Matchups to monitor Wednesday

Following a busy, 10-game Tuesday night in the NHL, it’s a relatively quiet five-game evening on Wednesday.

Nevertheless, there are playoff and draft lottery ramifications aplenty, so let’s hit all five matchups rapid fire:

Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning
7 p.m. (ESPN+)

While the Leafs appear destined for a top two spot in the Atlantic, they can still be caught by the Lightning for the No. 1 seed. If the Lightning are going to do it, a game like this is a prime opportunity to make up ground with a regulation win.

Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers
7:30 p.m. (TNT)

The Rangers lost their two most recent games by a combined score of 9-1, and their playoff hopes are dwindling quickly. A win over the Flyers would be a good step in potentially climbing back into the playoffs. Philly is fourth in the draft lottery order heading into this matchup — and bear in mind they also own the first-round picks of the Colorado Avalanche and Edmonton Oilers.

San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild
8 p.m. (ESPN+)

Speaking of occupying a great place in the draft lottery order, the Sharks are No. 1, and are four points clear of the Chicago Blackhawks for that spot. The Wild are holding on to the second Western wild-card spot, and enter the evening four points up on the Flames.

St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers
10 p.m. (TNT)

The Blues’ 12-game winning streak came to a halt on Monday at the hands of the Winnipeg Jets, and they’ll be looking to start another one here against the Oilers. St. Louis is in the first wild-card position, two points ahead of the Wild. The Oilers appear to be a lock for the No. 3 spot in the Pacific, bringing on a first-round matchup with the Los Angeles Kings for the fourth straight postseason.

Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks
10 p.m. (ESPN+)

Calgary’s chances to jump into wild-card position have faded recently, so getting two points out of this game is crucial. As noted above, they are four points back of the Wild for that final spot. The Ducks enter the contest in the No. 8 spot in the lottery order, right in a jumble of teams between 73 and 76 points, so they can move up pretty easily based on their performance in the final five games.

With the regular season ending April 17, we’ll help you track it all with the NHL playoff watch. As we traverse the final stretch, we’ll provide details on all the playoff races, along with the teams jockeying for position in the 2025 NHL draft lottery.

Note: Playoff chances are via Stathletes.

Jump ahead:
Current playoff matchups
Today’s schedule
Yesterday’s scores
Expanded standings
Race for No. 1 pick

Current playoff matchups

Eastern Conference

A1 Toronto Maple Leafs vs. WC1 Ottawa Senators
A2 Tampa Bay Lightning vs. A3 Florida Panthers
M1 Washington Capitals vs. WC2 Montreal Canadiens
M2 Carolina Hurricanes vs. M3 New Jersey Devils

Western Conference

C1 Winnipeg Jets vs. WC2 Minnesota Wild
C2 Dallas Stars vs. C3 Colorado Avalanche
P1 Vegas Golden Knights vs. WC1 St. Louis Blues
P2 Los Angeles Kings vs. P3 Edmonton Oilers

Wednesday’s games

Note: All times ET. All games not on TNT or NHL Network are available to stream on ESPN+ (local blackout restrictions apply).

Toronto Maple Leafs at Tampa Bay Lightning, 7 p.m.
Philadelphia Flyers at New York Rangers, 7:30 p.m. (TNT)
San Jose Sharks at Minnesota Wild, 8 p.m.
St. Louis Blues at Edmonton Oilers, 10 p.m. (TNT)
Calgary Flames at Anaheim Ducks, 10 p.m.

Tuesday’s scoreboard

Buffalo Sabres 3, Carolina Hurricanes 0
Montreal Canadiens 4, Detroit Red Wings 1
Florida Panthers 3, Toronto Maple Leafs 1
Boston Bruins 7, New Jersey Devils 2
Columbus Blue Jackets 5, Ottawa Senators 2
Pittsburgh Penguins 5, Chicago Blackhawks 0
Nashville Predators 7, New York Islanders 6 (OT)
Vancouver Canucks 6, Dallas Stars 5 (OT)
Utah Hockey Club 7, Seattle Kraken 1
Colorado Avalanche 3, Vegas Golden Knights 2 (SO)

Expanded standings

Atlantic Division

Points: 98
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 104.4
Next game: @ TB (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: A2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: vs. TOR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 94
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: A3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 98.8
Next game: vs. DET (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 90
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 94.6
Next game: vs. MTL (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 29
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 91.5
Next game: @ OTT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 89.2%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: @ FLA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 5.5%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: @ CBJ (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: E

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 75.8
Next game: vs. CHI (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Metro Division

Points: 107
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: M1
Games left: 5
Points pace: 114.0
Next game: vs. CAR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 96
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: M2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 102.2
Next game: @ WSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 89
Regulation wins: 36
Playoff position: M3
Games left: 4
Points pace: 93.6
Next game: vs. PIT (Friday)
Playoff chances: 99.9%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. PHI (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 1.9%
Tragic number: 3

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. NYR (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 3%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 84.1
Next game: vs. BUF (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.5%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 78.9
Next game: @ NJ (Friday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 75.6
Next game: @ NYR (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Central Division

Points: 110
Regulation wins: 42
Playoff position: C1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 115.6
Next game: @ DAL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 106
Regulation wins: 41
Playoff position: C2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 111.4
Next game: vs. WPG (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 100
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: C3
Games left: 3
Points pace: 103.8
Next game: vs. VAN (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 31
Playoff position: WC1
Games left: 3
Points pace: 96.5
Next game: @ EDM (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 97.3%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 91
Regulation wins: 33
Playoff position: WC2
Games left: 4
Points pace: 95.7
Next game: vs. SJ (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 92.1%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 84
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 88.3
Next game: vs. NSH (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 1

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 67.3
Next game: @ UTA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 56.8
Next game: @ BOS (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Pacific Division

Points: 103
Regulation wins: 43
Playoff position: P1
Games left: 4
Points pace: 108.3
Next game: vs. SEA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 97
Regulation wins: 39
Playoff position: P3
Games left: 5
Points pace: 103.3
Next game: vs. ANA (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 100%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 93
Regulation wins: 32
Playoff position: P2
Games left: 5
Points pace: 99.0
Next game: vs. STL (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 99.6%
Tragic number: N/A

Points: 87
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 92.7
Next game: @ ANA (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 10.9%
Tragic number: 6

Points: 85
Regulation wins: 27
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 4
Points pace: 89.4
Next game: @ COL (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0.1%
Tragic number: 2

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 80.9
Next game: vs. CGY (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 3
Points pace: 76.8
Next game: @ VGK (Thursday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14
Playoff position: N/A
Games left: 5
Points pace: 53.3
Next game: @ MIN (Wednesday)
Playoff chances: 0%
Tragic number: E

Note: A “y” means that the team has clinched the division title. An “x” means that the team has clinched a playoff berth. An “e” means that the team has been eliminated from playoff contention.

Race for the No. 1 pick

The NHL uses a draft lottery to determine the order of the first round, so the team that finishes in last place is not guaranteed the No. 1 selection. As of 2021, a team can move up a maximum of 10 spots if it wins the lottery, so only 11 teams are eligible for the No. 1 pick. Full details on the process are here. Matthew Schaefer, a defenseman for the OHL’s Erie Otters, is No. 1 on the draft board.

Points: 50
Regulation wins: 14

Points: 54
Regulation wins: 19

Points: 64
Regulation wins: 23

Points: 71
Regulation wins: 20

Points: 73
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 74
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 22

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 24

Points: 76
Regulation wins: 28

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 25

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 27

Points: 79
Regulation wins: 28