The Florida Panthers have shockingly found themselves on the back foot. Florida entered the series as the favorite over the Toronto Maple Leafs. However, the defending Stanley Cup champions are down 2-0 in the series after some questionable performances from Sergei Bobrovsky.
The future Hall of Fame goalie has allowed nine goals over the last two games. Florida’s offense made it a game each time. But they have lost each of these last two games. And they head back to the Amerant Bank Arena in Sunrise, Florida, with little margin for error.
Despite the deficit, Bobrovsky has support in the Florida locker room. The veteran puck stopper has led them to two straight Stanley Cup Final appearances. And, of course, he helped them win the Cup for the first time last season. As a result, the Panthers have faith in Bobrovsky.
“Didn’t love his first game,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said of Bobrovsky, via NHL.com’s Dave McCarthy. “I thought up until the fourth (goal in Game 2), I don’t look at him for any of the first three. We haven’t given up a tremendous amount tonight but the danger on the rush is significant so the goalie is going to be fine.”
Panthers Believe Despite Rare Series Deficit
Florida has not been in this position in a while. In fact, the last time they had a 2-0 series deficit was the 2023 Stanley Cup Final against the Vegas Golden Knights. They went on to lose this series in five games. However, this team is not allowing past failure to dictate their current performance.
“We’re OK in here, we have a lot of belief in our group, in our room and our experience,” Panthers forward Brad Marchand said, via McCarthy. “They’re fighting for their lives. They came ready to play in this round, we see that. These series can change on a dime and it’s all about that next one. We’re living for tomorrow right now and that’s how we will prepare.”
Marchand knows firsthand how resilient this team can be. He was with the Boston Bruins in those 2023 playoffs when Boston and Florida met in the first round. Boston had a 3-1 series lead in that matchup, but lost the last three games as they were eliminated following a historic 65-win season.
Sergei Bobrovsky has Stymied Maple Leafs Before
The Panthers still believe in Bobrovsky, and they don’t need to look anywhere else other than 2023 for one reason why. Florida faced the Maple Leafs in the second round after defeating the Bruins in round one. In this series, Bobrovsky was otherworldly.
Bobrovsky allowed 10 goals on 174 shots faced that series. This is good for a world-beating .943 save percentage. The Panthers won this series in five games. And Bobrovsky continued his dominance in the Eastern Conference Finals against the Carolina Hurricanes.
The veteran goalie has had his share of struggles since joining Florida in 2019. However, he is currently one of the best goalies in the world. He is on track for a spot in the Hall of Fame when his career is said and done. His team knows it, and they will back him until the end.
“Legend. Yes. God-mode. That’s what we have come to love about ‘Bobby,’ not to mention he’s the greatest person on Earth as well,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said of the Panthers goalie, via McCarthy.
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