Goaltending remains cause for concern as Panthers push for second Stanley Cup
Florida has been one of the best teams in the NHL this season but their goalies have left something to be desired
There are plenty of reasons why the Florida Panthers are considered to be a contender to win their second straight Stanley Cup.
From elite stars and high-end scorers to forward depth and championship experience, the Panthers check off plenty of boxes.
One box that has been left unchecked, at least so far this season, has been goaltending.
Longtime starter Sergei Bobrovsky has done an amazing job over the past several years at stepping up in big moments, particularly, and most importantly, during Florida’s playoff runs.
His regular seasons have been a bit of a mixed bag, but this year has been shakier than most.
Bob currently holds a solid 14-6-1 record, which is actually quite good, to go with a 2.98 goals against average, but it’s his .889 save percentage that jumps off the page at you.
Looking deeper, things get a bit more alarming.
Bobrovsky’s goals saved above expected is an ugly -6.9 and his wins above replacement is -1.14, per Money Puck. There are literally dozens of goaltenders with better numbers in both areas.
Like Bobrovsky, young backup Spencer Knight has seen some high highs and low lows this season, but a bit less drastic.
He’s currently 5-5-1 with a 2.85 goals against average, but similarly to Bob, Knight’s .890 save percentage just smacks you in the face.
Knight’s goals saved above expected is -3.8 and his wins above replacement is -0.63, which are both better than Bobrovsky, but still well below what we see from most of the league’s top goaltenders.
And for those wondering, Florida is a stingy defensive team, allowing only 26.9 shots per game, sixth fewest in the NHL.
It’s also worth noting that Florida is tied with three other teams allowing the sixth fewest high danger shots against at even strength this season.
League-wide, the only team with a higher even strength goals against above expected than Florida’s 13.48 is Pittsburgh at 14.01.
There is no big solution out there for the Panthers. Bob and Knight need to be better.
They are each are signed through next season at substantial cap hits, with Bobrovsky making $10 million and Knight earning $4.5 million.
Both have shown they have more to offer, and in Knight’s case, he’s still very young and should be granted a steeper learning curve.
At the end of the day, however, Florida will need more from both if they are going to push for another Stanley Cup.
The deeper we get into the regular season, things will start to tighten up. Once the playoffs arrive, outscoring an opponent usually requires your goaltender to come up with a few big, timely saves.
The Panthers currently average 3.50 goals per game, fifth best in the NHL. That helps mask some of their goaltending issues.
Come playoff time, they won’t be as easy to hide.
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