Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers hit a road trip, Montreal Canadiens waiting, and the goalie's last four starts look ugly.
The raw line is hard to dodge, a .859 save percentage, a 3.35 goals-against average, and one win in his last four games. Those numbers come straight from his game logs against Toronto, the Rangers, Washington, and Tampa Bay.
Tuesday in Toronto was another night where Florida never really found its pace, and Bobrovsky finished with 19 saves in a 4-1 loss. Paul Maurice didn't hide from it, saying the Panthers “started slow and found a way to get slower.”
So is this on Bobrovsky, or is it the injuries and the grind squeezing the life out of the group in front of him. It's usually both, and that's what makes this stretch so maddening.
Sergei Bobrovsky and Florida Panthers need saves
Bobrovsky is 37 and his season line still sits at 17-11-1 with a .885 save percentage and a 2.84 goals-against average, so the overall picture is not a disaster. But the last four games show what happens when the defensive layers slip and the goalie stops stealing one mistake a period.
Florida's injury situation is part of the backdrop, with Maurice saying the club is “a little sensitive” right now, pulling Brad Marchand as a precaution Tuesday. Seth Jones is also out a couple of weeks, and that kind of churn changes breakouts, pairings, and who is sealing the slot on tired legs.
Daniil Tarasov has been nothing more than OK in his backup role most nights, the kind of performance that keeps you afloat but doesn't really steal you points. Then he ran into Colorado and looked like a different goalie, calm in his crease, sharp on his posts, and swallowing second chances before they turned into chaos.
That's the version Florida is going to need to find more often, because Sergei Bobrovsky can't carry this thing alone into the second half. If Tarasov can give them reliable minutes, even just steady starts every couple weeks, it buys Bobrovsky the rest that matters, and it keeps the Panthers from riding their last line of defence into the ground.
The timing is tense because the trip opens Thursday in Montreal, and the Canadiens have been finding offense lately, including a 4-3 overtime win Sunday vs the Dallas Stars and four wins in their last six. If Florida gives them seams, they will take them.
If the Panthers tighten up, Bobrovsky usually follows, and that's the hope going into a week that can swing the season's mood fast.
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