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Sergei Bobrovsky is not just a goalkeeper, shot blocker or last line of defence. He became an all-encompassing black hole that swallowed up all light and hope, stamping out dreams with his pads or causing them to disappear in an instant, swallowed up by the mystical qualities of his gauntlets.
For all the pomp and circumstances when Matthew Tkachuk joined the Panthers, it was Bob who got the Florida Panthers to the brink of the Stanley Cup Finals. Up 3-0 in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Hurricanes have an answer for everything the Panthers can put on the ice – except for Bob. It’s a heater in the net unlike anything we’ve seen over the years, and now the team’s entire game plan revolves around causing as much frustration as possible, and waiting for the opponent to self-destruct.
This happened with perfect efficiency on a Tuesday night. With just over 14 minutes left in Game 3, Martin Necas, who has emerged as one of Carolina’s most reliable scorers, found himself in the slot at the perfect angle – a moment he had dozens of times in 2022-23, routinely placing the puck home. with efficiency. Staring at Bob, he froze, shifting the puck, overthinking his shot and being consumed by the keeper’s darkness. An easy take for defenders to come in, interfere with shots and ruin another Canes chance.
Bobrovsky has conceded an astonishing three goals from 135 save attempts in the Eastern Conference Finals. His GAA this series is an improbable 0.69. He stopped more than 60 shots in a row, and There isn’t anything Carolina’s throw at him can find the back of the net. Those numbers aren’t just stunning on paper, because not only is he making saves, they are How he made it. Bob moves with a sixth sense and stops everything, not even a goalie shot would be forgiven for letting in.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice deserves immense credit for harvesting and channeling his keeper heaters. Florida’s entire game plan now revolves around dumping and chasing, waiting for the Hurricanes to prolong frustration and then punish the counter. It doesn’t matter that Florida only shot 17 times, as long as someone found the net — because the volume of the Hurricanes’ offense made absolutely no difference.
The defense has found a way to make Bobrovsky’s life as easy as possible, with the Florida defense closing every possible lane to take quality shots. That is, despite the Hurricanes’ volume shots, neither were productive, and when paired with a wall in the net it caused Carolina’s players to miss it.
There is more than one factor to all of this. The Hurricanes badly missed their scoring streak for the first time in the playoffs with Max Pacioretty and Andrei Svechnikov both injured. However, injuries alone can’t take away from what Florida has done this postseason. The Panthers have gleefully played the most ridiculous and infuriating style imaginable, and they are winning a battle of psychology as well as ice.
It’s impossible to see how anyone left in the Stanley Cup Playoffs can handle the Florida wall. All you can do is throw the puck at him and hope to find a soft spot, but three games into the Easter Conference Finals no weakness to be found.
