Takeaways as Panthers outlast Hurricanes in thrilling 4OT series opener

Sergei Bobrovski kept the Panthers alive

The Panthers aren’t here if it’s not for Sergei Bobrovsky turning back the clock to his Vezina days of 2013 and 2017. While it isn’t so long ago, it feels like an eternity to the netminder who, before this postseason, had yet to reach the heights his seven-year $70 million contract he signed with Florida on July 1, 2019, demanded.

The inconsistency reached the point where rookie Alex Lyon was entrusted to start the Panther’s playoff opener against the record-setting Boston Bruins over a healthy Bobrovsky. But he hasn’t looked back since he regained the starters net with his team trailing 3-1 in that first-round series.

The 35-year-old entered the Eastern Conference final having won seven of eight starts, including backstopping Florida in their series-clinching Game 5 with 50 saves on 52 shots before Nick Cousins’s overtime goal eliminated the Toronto Maple Leafs.

As the marathon wore on, players began to show fatigue. The buttoned-down defensive clubs began to concede open ice, thus increasing the number of chances. But by then, shots had less zip, forechecks were softer, and possession time was interchangeable. However, none of it seemed to phase Bobrovsky, who was having a blast.

“At that point, you don’t feel much about your body,” Bobrovsky told the Athletic. “It’s more mental. Your focus is completely on the game. One shot at a time, and you don’t think about your body.”

Whether he thinks about it or not, all 6-foot-2, 182 pounds were needed to survive the Caniacs’ attack. He made 14 saves in the final stanza, none bigger than stopping Necas on a breakaway late in regulation.

That denial alone would’ve been enough for his effort to be lauded if Ryan Lomberg’s goal at 2:35 into the first overtime withstood the review. Instead, the tally was called back for goaltender interference, and play continued.

According to the official ruling from the NHL, “Video review determined Florida’s Colin White had a significant presence in the crease and made incidental contact with goaltender Frederik Andersen that impaired his ability to play his position before Ryan Lomberg’s goal.”

“We’ve been through a lot of adversity throughout the whole playoff and the season, so we don’t care,” Panthers defenseman Radko Gudas said, per The Athletic. “We put the working boots back on, just grind them down and just keep going. Maybe Whitey might get a little fine for being in the crease. Maybe we would have ended it a little earlier.”

So back in the net went Bobrovsky, who improved as the game progressed. Even more impressive, he was going up against Frederik Andersen, who was putting on a show at the other end, making for an enthralling stalemate into the wee hours of Friday morning.

Bobrovsky stopped Jordan Staal’s wraparound chance by using his skate to push the puck against the post. Then in double overtime, there was his poke check on Stefan Noesen before he made two point-blank saves on Aho to keep Florida alive.

The Panthers generated chances of their own, but there was Andersen’s glove save on Eric Stall, the goaltender’s patience in the third overtime to stop Brandon Montour wide open in the slot, his thwarting of a two-on-one rush, his point-blank stop on Sam Bennet and an incredible paddle save on Verhaeghe in the fourth overtime that had them looking skywards themselves.

When it was over, Andersen finished with 60 saves on 63 shots to a +1.41 Goals Saved Above Expected (GSaX). But Bobrovsky was better, making 62 saves on 65 shots, finishing with a +4.5 GSaX and raising his total in that category to a playoff-leading +13.8, according to Moneypuck.com.

Bobrovsky’s 63 saves were the most in Panthers postseason history, surpassing John Vanbiesbrouck’s 55-save performance in Game 4 of the 1996 Stanley Cup Final. The performance is tied for the 10th most in a playoff game. The netminder also became the third goaltender since 1955-56 to record 50+ saves in consecutive playoff games. Only Juuse Saros in 2021 and Curtis Joseph in 1993 previously accomplished the feat.