Former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will play in his second straight Stanley Cup Final for the Florida Panthers.
Former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will play in his second straight Stanley Cup Final for the Florida Panthers.
Former Philadelphia Flyers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will play in his second straight Stanley Cup Final for the Florida Panthers.
Bobrovsky is nominated for the Vezina trophy this season and has played exceptionally well throughout the 2024 Stanley Cup Playoffs. With 12 wins under his belt, 'Bob' has a .908 save percentage and a stellar 2.20 GAA. He also has arguably the save of the playoffs.
The Florida Panthers have knocked off star goalie after star goalie during its playoff run. They faced Andrei Vasilevskiy and the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round. Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins in round two. Then, finally, Igor Shesterkin and the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Final.
While the Panthers are a solid defensive team, Bobrovsky's strong play between the pipes propels his team into an elite category. A team won't succeed without strong goaltending, especially in the playoffs.
The ECF was Bobrovsky's best series this postseason. He sported a .921 save % in the six games and a 1.89 GAA. Against the Presidents Trophy-winning New York Rangers, Bobrovsky only allowed 12 goals, including a shutout in game one.
ESPN's John Buccigross texted Flyers head coach John Tortorella about his former netminder. Tortorella coached Bobrovsky while both were with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
Bobrovsky was never drafted into the NHL but signed with the Flyers in May 2010. He made his NHL debut that season, started 52 games, and won 28 for Philadelphia.
The Flyers traded the Russian netminder to the Blue Jackets in 2012 in return for three draft picks. At the time, the Flyers committed to iconic NHL goalie Ilya Bryzgalov as their No. 1 goalie. The trade backfired for the Flyers as Bobrovsky went on to win his first of two Vezina Trophies as the NHL's best goalie during his first season with CBJ.
Ironically, one of the picks in the trade return was used to draft goalie Anthony Stolarz. Stolarz and the Flyers eventually separated ways, and now Stolarz finds himself as Bobrovsky's backup in Florida.
With the Edmonton Oilers sporting high-octane offense from superstars Connor McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, and Evan Bouchard, Bobrovsky must be at the top of his game. Bobrovsky should be at or near the top of Conn Smythe Trophy voting if he and the Panthers can shut those three players down.
The Stanley Cup Final gets underway this Saturday, and the Panthers hold a home-ice advantage.
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