Well-rested Bobrovsky shines for second consecutive game as Panthers defeat the Sharks
Sergei Bobrovsky must have heard the critics.
But, whether he felt pressure or not, he certainly responded in a positive way, beating the San Jose Sharks 5-1 on Sunday night at the BB&T Center.
Bobrovsky, who entered this weekend with the second-lowest save percentage in the NHL, also beat the Columbus Blue Jackets 4-1 on Friday night.
That’s 63 saves out of 65 shots on consecutive nights for the goalie the Panthers are counting on to take them to the playoffs.
“Physically you feel a little bit fatigued,” Bobrovsky said of the back-to-back games. “But we stood together at the right time.”
It was the first time all season that the Panthers allowed less than two goals in consecutive games. That bit of success came at the perfect time for Bobrovsky, the former Columbus star who signed a seven-year, $70-million contract as a Panthers free agent in July.
He had been benched or rested – depended on your viewpoint – for two consecutive games during which Panthers coach Joel Quenneville went with Chris Driedger, just up from the American Hockey League.
Driedger blanked the Nashville Predators 3-0 on Nov. 30, saving 27 shots on a night in which Florida’s defense overall was stellar.
In the next game, however, Driedger couldn’t hold a 2-0 lead as the Minnesota Wild rallied for a 4-2 win.
Enter Bobrovsky, well rested.
“He had a very good weekend for us,” Quenneville said of Bobrovsky. “I thought he had a really nice game (on Sunday). His composure, square to the puck, awareness of rebounds -- he was in control all game.”
The Panthers got goals from Keith Yandle, Aleksander Barkov, Mike Matheson, Brett Connolly (his team-high 14th of the season) and Frank Vatrano (empty-netter). Yandle and Connolly both scored on power plays, and Jonathan Huberdeau added two assists.
Florida opened the scoring with 4:31 expired in the first on Yandle’s shot from above the left circle. With two Panthers players looking for a deflection, Yandle’s shot handcuffed Sharks goalie Martin Jones, trickling in off of his glove. The Panthers made it 2-0 with 8:15 gone in the first as Barkov tapped the puck in after a great pass from Evgenii Dadonov, who waited a couple of extra seconds for the perfect opening.
“I forgot to shoot, but it still went in the net,” Barkov joked. “I was just trying to get open. Those guys (Dadonov and Huberdeau) will find me.”
San Jose cut its deficit to 2-1 with 10:13 elapsed in the first. Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was penalized for interference, and San Jose cashed in just 16 seconds later as Kevin Labanc zipped a high shot through heavy traffic.
But Florida extended its lead to 3-1 with 6:32 gone in the second. Matheson’s low shot from the high slot trickled through the five hole, ending his 28-game goal drought.
IN PLAYOFF POSITION
The Panthers, who have 35 points through 29 games and are in playoff position just past the quarter pole, are 3-1-0 during this franchise-record-long nine-game homestand. They have three straight tough games this week: Tampa Bay on Tuesday, the Islanders on Thursday and the Bruins on Saturday.
