Sergei Bobrovsky came into the 2021-22 season with a completely different mindset starting the third year of his tender with the Florida Panthers. After signing his monster ticket back in 2019, Bobrovsky has come nowhere near what he is being paid. Until this season. The Panthers currently find themselves at the top of the leaderboard through the first handful of games. A big reason for that would be thanks to Sergei Bobrovsky’s play.
Sergei Bobrovsky is Back to Vezina Calibre
Sergei Bobrovsky is back; I repeat, Sergei Bobrovsky is BACK!
After, what would be a nice way to say he had a terrible start with the Panthers. Each season has been an improvement, believe it or not. While it is not significant, improvement is an improvement. Going from a .900 save percentage to a .906 save percentage from his first to last season. Something has changed with Bobrovskys mindset, and we all can see it on and off the ice.
Reportedly deleting all his social media during the off-season, Bobrovsky came into this season knowing that his job was on the line. With the way Spencer Knight burst onto the scene at the end of last year, many were looking at Knight to steal the starting job from Bobrovsky. Knight was honestly incredible and deserved all the praise in a few games at the end of last season. At the same time, his play hasn’t necessarily continued from last season. On the other hand, Bobrovsky has picked up the slack for both the rookie netminder and the rest of the team.
Through his first eight games of this season, “Bob” has looked like the Vezina Calibre goaltender he once was. Again, it is still early in the season, but Bobrovsky has been great so far. Coming out of the gates hot, Bobrovsky is currently sporting a 6-0-1 record allowing only 1.73 goals-against average. To make things even more impressive, Bob’s save percentage sits presently at .946 percent, with all eight of his games played considered “quality starts.” To say that Bobrovsky has found his groove again is an understatement.
What the Eyes See, and What the Stats Tell Us
If you have watched Bobrovsky this season, even for a period or two, you can tell that he is playing much better compared to the previous season. While the offence has been able to produce, the defensive side of things still needs improvement. Bailing out the defence time and time again, the Thursday night match-up against the Pittsburgh Penguins shows it all. While the Panthers continue to play their run-and-gun system, their defensive game is affected. Consistently having to bail out the guys in front of him, the amount of odd-man rushes he faces is uncalled for and unfair. Yet, despite being hung out to dry more often than not, Bobrovsky has risen to the task.
According to Money-Puck.Com, Bobrovsky is a top three goaltender in many categories. First in Goals Saved Above Average with 15.5, third in Goals Saved Above Expected Per 60 with 2.068, and a Save Percentage on Unblocked Shot at 0.969. Sergei is doing everything his ten-million-dollar contract is asking of him. At the end of the day, if Bobrovsky can continue to play like this, Panthers fans and management will be reminded why they spent so much on the Russian netminder.
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