Panthers, Sergei Bobrovsky ready to rebound after rough game in Edmonton
Florida knows they can be better, and they must be better if they want to close out Edmonton and win the Stanley Cup on home ice
There is no denying that Sergei Bobrovsky and the Florida Panthers got roughed up on Saturday in Edmonton.
Florida went into Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final with a chance to end the series and clinch the first championship in franchise history.
Instead, they were crushed by wave after wave of relentless Oilers offense.
Florida’s starting goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, the man who many had penciled in as a potential Conn Smythe Trophy winner, had his worst showing of the playoffs.
He allowed five goals on just 16 shots against. Three of the five came on high danger shots, according to Natural Stat Trick, but Edmonton’s expected goals during Bob’s 24:52 between the pipes was only 1.83.
None of that changes the full and complete confidence that Bob’s teammates have in his ability to bounce back and resume being the lights out goaltender that brought them to within one win of the Stanley Cup.
“He is very mentally strong,” said Panthers forward Vladimir Tarasenko. “He’s worked a lot on his mental toughness during the years, and he’s just such a good guy to be around. He always cares about his teammates and he’s always in a good mood.”
It wasn’t just Bobrovsky that struggled in Game 4 against the Oilers.
Florida just could not seem to keep up with Edmonton’s high-end rush game.
Were the Oilers playing a risky game? Yes.
They gave the puck away quite a bit on Saturday, but their goaltender Stuart Skinner was spectacular in net, keeping Florida at bay while his Oilers poured on the goals.
Across the board, a big rebound performance is expected the Panthers on Tuesday when they host Edmonton for Game 5 in Sunrise.
They were back on the ice for a full team practice on Monday at the Baptist Health IcePlex in Fort Lauderdale.
Bobrovsky appeared to be his usual self, enjoying practice, putting in the work while finding time to laugh with teammates during drills.
He had the entire group making noise after one particular stick save where he reached behind him and pulled the puck back from crossing the goal line.
“That's part of him and part of his relationship with the team,” said Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice. “It's why we do some of those drills that we do, that don't seem particularly contested. He likes that. He's not a goaltender that doesn't want the work, that doesn't want to see hard shots. He wants to see the hard stuff.”
That’s good, because it appears the hardest part of the playoffs have arrived.
Florida has been outscored 10-1 over the past four periods of the Stanley Cup Final.
Bobrovsky and his teammates will share the blame in that, but all are expecting a much better effort from top to bottom when they hit the ice on Tuesday.
“He's been awesome all playoffs, and we’re obviously really confident in Bob,” said Panthers forward Carter Verhaeghe. “You’ve seen him play. He’s awesome. There’s not much else to say.”
No, there isn’t.
See you for Game 5.
LATEST STORIES FROM THE HOCKEY NEWS - FLORIDA
