FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — On the penultimate day of the NHL season, Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky was not on the ice for practice.
The Panthers are sure that's a good thing.
Bobrovsky was a serious candidate for the Conn Smythe Award at one point in this Stanley Cup Final that ends with Game 7 on Monday night, with Florida winning the first three games and the Edmonton Oilers basically silent because of the goaltending of the Panthers. But over the last three games, Edmonton's offense has exploded and Bobrovsky's numbers look horrible: a 5.06 goals-against average and a .793 save percentage.
“It's definitely not his fault,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said Sunday. “I think it's up to us to tighten up the defense and get off to a better start. We've been losing in each of the last three games, which could open you up a little bit and cost you more chances against him. So we have to be a lot better against him. And definitely “We'll do it tomorrow. It's definitely not his fault.”
Bobrovsky is on a very strict schedule and will not be on the ice every day in the playoffs, whether in Round 1 or the last day off before the final game of Round 4.
Panthers coach Paul Maurice said he thought Bobrovsky looked solid in Game 6, when Florida lost 5-1. Two of those Edmonton goals were empty-net goals.
“We were nice to him; we didn't give him a short-handed break to start the game,” Maurice said. “I thought it was very good of us. We cut those expenses for him and gave him a chance. We'll try again tomorrow.”
