Sergei Bobrovsky is nothing short of spectacular. The Florida Panthers’ man between the pipes, who, at 36, might be one of the oldest goaltenders in the NHL, is also, still, one of the most skillful. Bobrovsky has managed to lead the league in the past three postseasons, with 40 wins and 6 shutout games in total. This year, his 2.17 GAA puts him second overall in the postseason, while his .912 SV% has him in third place. Not bad at all. Now, while Wednesday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers was not great for the Florida Panthers, things still look pretty solid for Bob.
These playoffs too have been nothing short of astounding, with Sergei Bobrovsky opening up game one of the Eastern Conference final with 31 saves of 33 shots. And though he had a few tough games against the Leafs in the earlier part of the series, coach Paul Maurice never broke a sweat over Bobrovsky, having, throughout the series, full faith in the goaltender, and even saying, despite the goals he gave up in games 1, 2, and 3 of the series, “The goalie is going to be fine.” Well, there’s a reason Bobrovsky has two Vezina trophies!
Now, in game 1 of the 2025 playoff finals, yes, the Florida Panthers lost, but this doesn’t mean Sergei Bobrovsky wasn’t giving it his all. The goaltender made 42 saves in that game, and 11 of them were high-danger shots!
42 saves for Bobrovsky in Game 1, with 11 of them being high-danger, per @NatStatTrick.
— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) June 5, 2025
The thing is, the Oilers fought hard on their home turf, and it was only when Tomas Nosek blundered with that over-the-glass puck near the end that the final overtime gave the Oilers and Draisaitl a chance to knock one in, but still, Bobrovsky’s efforts should not go unnoticed.
What his team has to say about Sergei Bobrovsky’s performances
Earlier in the season, i.e., in game 5 against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Sergei Bobrovsky made 31 saves. This was a big turnaround for the Panthers in the series against the Leafs, especially after they secured a 3-2 win, and Paul Maurice was quick to commend Bobrovsky for his efforts, saying, “Where the game doesn’t break is Sergei Bobrovsky. Two or three breakaways a night. So I think he was the pivot point in the way that game went.”
Source: X/Florida Panthers PR
When Bobrovsky was asked about the same, his answer was humble as he made sure he wasn’t taking all the credit for it, saying, “Yeah, again, it’s a team sport. Everybody plays hard in front of me, and there’s some good moments.” So there’s no telling how Bobrovsky took game 1 of the final series; it would probably be hard for him to separate his individual wins from the team’s overall loss.
Now, with game 2 coming up, the Florida Panthers are going to have to watch their precision if they want to ensure there can be a repeat of last year, i.e., Captain Aleksander Barkov lifting up the cup and handing it to Sergei Bobrovsky, who, even last season, went above and beyond for this team, with a 32-save shutout in game 1 of the finals. The thing about Bobrovsky, though, is he rises to the occasion. So yes, sometimes his playing can be a little unreliable, but when it matters, he’s there.
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