Sergei Bobrovsky stole Game 2 for Florida, reminding us all just how good he can be

Bobrovsky and the Panthers lead their best-of-7 series with Toronto 2-0

Sergei Bobrovsky has entered the chat.

Florida’s veteran goaltender has never looked better in a Panthers sweater than he has over the past three games.

The biggest games of his NHL career.

The biggest games the Panthers franchise has seen in 27 years.

Not since that amazing run to the Stanley Cup Final in 1996 have the Cats held a 2-games-to-none lead in a playoff series.

“Bob has been huge for us,” said Florida captain Sasha Barkov after Game 2 in Toronto.

Entering Thursday, the Panthers were performing at a level higher than they had all season.

Florida’s hardcore forechecking and overall physicality was grinding down the opposition.

Thursday’s Game 2 didn’t have the same vibe.

Toronto came out throwing haymakers and scored a couple quick ones to go up 2-0 early.

The Panthers have enough skill across the board that they can pump in at least a few goals every game, and that’s what they did Thursday.

Over the past few years, three goals may not be enough to get you a Panthers victory. It’s been hit or miss.

But not on this night.

“I think you need your goaltender to win you a game every series, and he did that tonight,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice.

Toronto dominated puck possession and finished the game with an expected goals for of 3.82.

No matter. 

Bobrovsky made 34 saves, including nine out of 10 of the high danger variety, in Florida’s 3-2 win over the Maple Leafs in Game 2.

The Panthers now lead their best-of-7 second-round series with Toronto 2-0.

“We need him, he was as good as we expect,” said Florida center Anton Lundell. “It was a huge game for him. He kept us alive today.”

Despite getting blitzed in the opening minutes of the game, Bobrovsky remained steady in the crease.

After failing to control a rebound on what turned out to be Toronto’s first goal, Bob was much more aware of where pucks were going after saves were made.

At one point he reached behind him with his stick to tap the puck back underneath him as it tricked off his body and toward the goal line.

Other times he dropped his goal stick to grab the puck with his blocker hand, or allowed the puck to hit his chest and fall to the ice between his pads.

“You get behind the bench some nights and you get a feel for your goaltender, you go, ‘Man, he's just not getting beat again.’ And that's what he gave our team,” Maurice said.

It wasn’t just the high-end, timely saves that made this night feel different than others.

It was the rebound control, an area of Bobrovsky’s game he generally struggles, that allowed him to steal his team a road playoff victory.

“He grinds and just continues to work on his game and takes care of himself like I've never seen somebody do, so he deserves it,” said Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk. “He's been the leader for us since he's come back. We're very lucky to have him.”

If Bobrovsky can continue to provide anywhere close to the level of goaltending on display Thursday, Florida will be a force for the remainder of the playoffs.

Bob and the Cats will look to keep the good times rolling back in South Florida, a place they haven’t been in nearly a week.

The Panthers went straight from Boston to Toronto after their victory on Sunday, with the NHL only granting them a single day between a Game 7 and a series opener.

Now Maurice’s whiskered army will get a little down time, with two days before Game 3 on Sunday at FLA Live Arena and then another two days before Game 4 next Wednesday.

The big building in Sunrise should be packed and rocking when they see their Panthers for the first time since the bonkers 7-5 win over Boston in Game 6.

“We definitely look forward to that,” Bobrovsky said. “We’re going to be happy to perform in front of our fans.”

After being gone for a week, Florida will now get a handful of nights at home under their own respective roofs.

Will the extra rest and ‘sleeping in your own bed’ element reenergize the Panthers to play as well in front of Bob on Sunday as he did behind them on Thursday?

Perhaps Bobrovsky will continue to embody his Vezina-winning past self and Conn Smythe the Panthers to heights never before reached.

There has never been any denying how high his ceiling was.

With Bob at his best and Florida playing Maurice’s systems to perfection, the Panthers are out-working and out-willing the top competition the Eastern Conference has to offer.

The only question now is how long can they keep it going?

“I'm humble but then I’m happy at the same time, and I’m happy for the guys,” Bobrovsky said. “They are fighting. They got punched in the face and came back. They are warriors. It’s fun to be part of.”