The Florida Panthers started off their season on the right foot, picking up two wins at home over the Pittsburgh Penguins and New York Islanders. These two wins were definitely not a product of any one player, but rather a strong collective effort from a Panthers team looking to make serious noise this year. Sam Bennett had a hat trick. Aaron Ekblad, Carter Verhaeghe, and Anthony Duclair each registered two goals over the two game span. But, there was one player who especially impressed me with his performance: Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky is a player that Panthers fans need no introduction to. After an illustrious career with the Columbus Blue Jackets, including two All-Star appearances and two Vezina trophies, Bobrovsky cashed out in Florida. During the 2019 offseason, Bobrovsky signed with the Panther as an unrestricted free agent. Bobrovsky’s eight-year deal, worth $10 million annually, was looked at with skepticism from the moment it was signed, and those suspicions haven’t been relieved by the goalie’s play in South Florida.
Bobrovsky’s first year in Florida wasn’t pretty. Fresh off signing an $80 million dollar contract, the goalie faltered tremendously, posting a .900 save percentage and a goals against average of 3.23. Bobrovsky finished the year with a -12.9 Goals Saved Above Expected, the 10th worst total league-wide. By the time the season abruptly ended due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he was being largely outplayed by the team’s backup goaltender, Chris Driedger.
Bobrovsky’s second season in Florida was better, but not by much. Bobrovsky’s SV% increased slightly to a .906, and he managed to bring his GAA below three, finishing the year allowing 2.93 goals per game. Over 31 games played, he finished the year with a -8.1 GSAx. Bobrovsky’s play, along with an explosive offense and a much improved defense, earned the Panthers the fourth best record in the league and easily secured a playoff birth. The 2021 playoffs was where things really fell apart for Bobrovsky. In three playoff games, Bobrovsky totalled an abysmal .841 SV%, 5.33 GAA, and -4.0 GSAx. He was removed from the starter’s role on two different occasions, once for Driedger and once for rookie Spencer Knight, as the Panthers ultimately fell in six games to the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Going into the 2021-22 season, Bobrovsky has been under immense levels of pressure to at least improve marginally. With general manager Bill Zito making moves over the offseason to ship away liabilities and offload bad contracts, Bobrovsky remained as the only truly awful contract on the Cats’ roster. Many analysts identified goaltending as the one thing that could hold an otherwise stacked Panthers team from competing. Coach Joel Quenneville’s decision to start Bobrovsky on opening night was met with heavy backlash from the fanbase– many were hoping 20-year old Knight would get the nod in goal to start the year. When the puck dropped on the new season, and with all eyes on the 33 year old netminder, Bobrovsky managed to deliver in a huge way.
Bobrovsky’s play in the first two games of the season has been nothing short of sensational. He faced 77 shots on goal, managing to turn in a .935 SV%. Of the five goals Bobrovsky did allow, two were on the penalty kill, and another two were deflected in off of Panther defensemen, and the final was following a netfront scramble after Bobrovsky made a stellar save moments prior. He’s registered a whopping 6.2 GSAx, by far the best in the league over the admittedly small sample size. In my opinion, Bobrovsky has been the best Panther to start the year, and has been the X-factor that helped the Panthers secure their first two wins of the year.
Bobrovsky’s sudden turnaround hasn’t gone unnoticed. In just 72 hours, Panther fans have gone from calling for Bobrovsky’s head to singing his praises. Whether or not the veteran netminder can continue his renaissance over a full 82-game season is yet to be seen. This may be the start of a huge bounce back campaign, or it may be lightning in a bottle that will wear off in a short while. Regardless, Bobrovsky has managed to perform at an elite level to start the season and, at least for the time being, silence his many haters.