Sergei Bobrovsky shows Florida Panthers grit is at an all-time high
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Jonathan Ouimet
Jan 19, 2026 (10:51 PM)
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Photo credit: Timothy T. Ludwig-Imagn Images
Matthew Tkachuk debut, Sergei Bobrovsky emotion, Florida Panthers passion all collided in Sunrise tonight.
Matthew Tkachuk is playing his first regular season game for the Florida Panthers since February 8th, 2025.
The Florida Panthers are 122-73-16 with him in the lineup during the regular season.
Then the game happened, and it got messy in a way only this team can deliver.
Florida's identity is forecheck, friction, and pushing opponents into mistakes, and tonight the vibe was loud from the jump.
Sergei Bobrovsky usually lives in that calm, sealed-off world goalies build to survive the NHL.
Even when he's battling rebounds or fighting the puck, his body language is normally the same, reset, breathe, move on.
And then it happened.
Sergei Bobrovsky, Matthew Tkachuk, pure Florida Panthers
As a fan, seeing Bobrovsky lose it like that was unreal, because it felt like the mask came off for ten seconds.
The reports on the sequence made it clear why he went, too.
Bobrovsky skated the full length of the ice after San Jose's Alex Nedeljkovic jumped into a scrum, and the whole thing turned into a rare goalie-on-goalie moment.
It hit different because it wasn't just showmanship, it was protection.
Bob on why he fought:
«I felt it was too much. Over the line. I wanted to make sure to get in and let him know.»
When your goalie crosses the ice to defend a teammate, it sends the simplest message possible, nobody gets a free shot at us tonight.
And the crowd fed off it in a big way.
Bob on the reception from the crowd tonight:
Bob on the reception from the crowd tonight:
«That was exciting, for sure. That was great and emotional. I did not know that there would be that much [chanting], but it was a good feeling.»
That's the thing about this Panthers group, the talent matters, but the heartbeat matters more.
Tkachuk returning and Bobrovsky showing that kind of fire felt like the building remembering exactly who it is, and what kind of hockey it loves.
Aaron Ekblad summed it up perfectly after the game, and he didn't bother dressing it up.
«I just got finished telling him how f***ing awesome that was. We loved it.» Said Ekblad.
Coming from a guy who has seen everything in this league, that reaction says a lot about how much Bobrovsky's moment meant in the room.
Matthew Tkachuk framed Bobrovsky's outburst as more than a viral moment, he called it an internal jolt the team can actually build on.
«When one of our best players is kind of going out of his comfort zone - or any goalie's comfort zone - it's probably a little bit of a spark. ... We pushed, but couldn't quite get it. We need to use that fire ... and use it on this next road trip.»
Said Tkachuk.
Said Tkachuk.
That's classic Tkachuk, enjoy the emotion, then immediately turn it into a standard.
The message is simple: the passion was real, now the Panthers have to carry it into the next stretch and make it count.
Also read on Sunrise Hockey Insider :
Sergei Bobrovsky involved in stunning goaltender altercation
Sergei Bobrovsky involved in stunning goaltender altercation
| POLL | ||
JANVIER 19 | 73 ANSWERS Sergei Bobrovsky shows Florida Panthers grit is at an all-time high What was the bigger moment tonight for the Florida Panthers, Matthew Tkachuk's return or Sergei Bobrovsky crossing the ice? | ||
| Matthew Tkachuk | 4 | 5.5 % |
| Sergei Bobrovsky | 54 | 74 % |
| Both equal | 13 | 17.8 % |
| Neither | 2 | 2.7 % |
| List of polls | ||