The loudest cheers among Florida Panthers fans at Amerant Bank Arena are always for Sergei Bobrovsky.
The “Bob-by” chants lasted well into the early hours of yesterday morning after Bobrovksy led the Florida Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup championship.
Florida fans know how important the veteran goaltender is to their team and so do the Panthers.
Photo: AFP
It is why Florida never appeared rattled during their third straight Stanley Cup Finals run.
The Panthers remained even-keeled, never looking too far ahead, and certainly not harping on the past — mirroring the attitude of their unflappable, two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender.
Bobrovsky rewarded their trust in him with a brilliant showing in this year’s playoffs, which he stamped with a 28-save effort in Florida’s romp over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6.
“It’s an amazing feeling, obviously,” Bobrovksy said. “I wanted to say thank you to the group of guys ... the dedication, the sacrifice it’s been amazing. All of my career, I had so many ups and downs, not many people believed in me. That’s why I thank God for this experience. I can’t be more humbled and appreciative.”
He stopped 192 of 209 shots in the finals. He nearly had his fourth shutout of the post-season on Tuesday.
With Tuesday’s win, Bobrovsky moved to 13-8 in 22 series-clinching games, tying Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy (13-9) for the most among active goaltenders.
He was even more dominant than last year’s title run, when he was again a key piece in Florida’s success with a .906 save percentage.
Bobrovsky made 42 saves in each of the first two games of the series in Edmonton. Both of which were thrillers, both of which went to overtime. He then held the Oilers to one goal in a Game 3 win, stopping 32 shots to lift the Panthers to a 2-1 series lead.
After the Panthers blew a 3-0 lead in Game 4, Bobrovsky stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced in a tremendous Game 5 effort, putting them in a position to clinch the championship on home ice.
“Bob impresses you on a daily basis with just how he prepares and all of the little things that he does to be the best goalie in the world,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “You almost don’t want to look him in the eyes sometimes when you’re walking around the dressing room because he’s just so dialed in, but he really is a down-to-earth guy, too. He’s not one of those goalies that worries about his routine and stuff. You can sit and have a chat with him. He’s a good person, a good guy.”
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