When Panthers have needed ‘The Bob’ to step up late, Sergei Bobrovsky has dominated

Paul Maurice has seen up close and personal just how special goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky can be when he’s at his best. The 14-year NHL veteran seems to know just the right moment to take his game to the next level and find ways to make the big saves in the right moment.

“When it’s on like that,” the Panthers coach said earlier this season, “that’s why he’s ‘The Bob’.”

The Florida Panthers have needed “The Bob” to come up clutch late in games recently as they continue to scratch and claw through close game after close game.

Bobrovsky has lived up to the task.

The most recent effort came in the Panthers’ 4-3 win against the Chicago Blackhawks on Sunday, their fourth consecutive victory — all with Bobrovsky in net. After giving up three goals on just 13 shot attempts in the first two periods, Bobrovsky was a perfect 14 for 14 in the third period.

In fact, Bobrovsky has been downright fantastic in the final 20 minutes of game as the Panthers mount an early season run.

Through his past seven starts, dating to his Oct. 28 outing against the Seattle Kraken, Bobrovsky has a .954 save percentage (62 saves on 65 shots against) in the third period and overtime. The Panthers have gone 6-0-1 in those seven games. Five of those seven games have been decided by one goal and three went to overtime.

Two of the three goals allowed came in Florida’s overtime loss against the Boston Bruins on Oct. 30 — a third-period goal by Charlie McAvoy and the Bruins’ overtime winner by Pavel Zacha. The other was a third-period goal by the Columbus Blue Jackets’ Alexandre Texier in an eventual 5-4 Florida overtime win on Nov. 6.

In the other five games of this stretch — wins against the Kraken, Detroit Red Wings, Washington Capitals, Carolina Hurricanes and Blackhawks — Bobrovksy has been a perfect 54 for 54 in the third period.

“He’s so composed back there,” Panthers forward Sam Reinhart said. “If we limit time and space in the D zone and be aggressive in giving him some lanes, it makes it easier on him. We’ve got all the confidence in the world with him back there right now.”

Bobrovsky, in his 14th NHL season and fifth with the Panthers, is quick to deflect credit, though. While he is the last line of defense, Bobrovsky knows the work of his teammates in front of him play a factor in his success.

And he recognized that group is starting to come together after a lot of turnover following last season’s Stanley Cup Final run and with two top defensemen in Aaron Ekblad and Brandon Montour still sidelined.

“We have a really good structure and a good group of guys who execute that structure,” said Bobrovsky, who has an NHL-leading nine wins. “It’s fun to be there, definitely. It’s a pleasure. It’s so much fun. So privileged to be the goalie for this team.”

As the success comes early, Bobrovsky is doing what he can to remain stoic and in the moment. He knows there’s a lot of hockey ahead.

“It’s still early,” Bobrovsky said. “I wouldn’t jump too high. Yes, we’ve played great. We’ve had good team chemistry. Guys come in and buy into the system and stick together, but you have to be focused. It’s a long season. It’s a marathon. It’s the NHL. There’s so many good teams, so many good players. You just have to work hard every day.”

Point streaks

The Panthers have a slew of players riding point streaks entering their Tuesday game at the San Jose Sharks to begin their upcoming three-game road trip. Among them:

▪ Reinhart has logged multiple points in four consecutive games, highlighted by his four-point outing against Chicago on Sunday. This is Reinhart’s second four-game multi-point streak of the season, and he is one of just three players with a stretch of four consecutive multi-point games. The others are Detroit’s Dylan Larkin and the New York Rangers’ Artemi Panarin.

▪ Winger Matthew Tkachuk has points in six consecutive games and eight of his past nine games overall. Tkachuk has logged 11 points — three goals, eight assists — in the nine-game stretch.

▪ Defenseman Gustav Forsling has a point in four consecutive games, tallying a goal and three assists in that stretch.

▪ Winger Evan Rodrigues has a three-game point streak going, scoring one goal and dishing out four assists in those games.