By Nathan Moser
The first two games of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final are in the books. If the hockey world voted on who they believed should be the current leader in the Conn Smythe Trophy voting, Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky would be winning that vote. He has been absolutely dominant in net and he has stifled the Edmonton Oilers’ offense to just one goal in two Cup Final games. Connor McDavid has been held to just one assist, and despite his offensive skills like skating and puck-handling, Bobrovsky has stopped him every step of the way so far.
This is the type of play that the Panthers wanted out of Bobrovsky when they signed him to a seven-year contract with them back in 2019 free agency. He had already put up significant numbers, such as being a two-time Vezina Trophy winner before as well as leading the NHL in shutouts for 2018-19. However, there was a time since he had joined Florida that the contract looked like a mistake. The Panthers have been paying him each season as one of the best in the league, and there were times when those results did not make the deal he signed. He was not living up to making $10 million a season for them. This was frustrating for management and the fanbase when the Panthers were not getting the right amount of solid play from him to justify the contract. Trying to get rid of him was going to be hard if they went down that route, given that the contract was monstrous.
Fortunately for the Panthers and their fans, they did not part ways with the 35-year-old netminder as he has been phenomenal for them in the crease. Even before getting to this playoff run specifically, the man they call “Bob,” had a tremendous 2021-22 season. He put up a record of 39-7-3 in 54 games played. He has not stopped making an impact, as Bobrovsky has been a significant part of Florida’s run to the Cup Final for the second time in a row. As the stats stand right now, Bobrovsky has a 2024 postseason record of 14-5. His goals-against average (GAA) so far is 2.02, while his save percentage (SV%) is currently .916. He also has two shutouts on this playoff run, including in Game One of the Cup Final when the Panthers beat the Oilers 3-0.
Many people in the hockey world had their doubts at times with Bobrovsky on the Panthers. There were times when I thought Florida was going to move in another direction and feel strong enough about it that they would retain half of his salary. He has proven the doubters wrong and should be the top choice for the Conn Smythe Trophy if he continues to be a brick wall in net for them.
Florida is only halfway there though, and they have had the benefit of playing the first two games of the series at home. Now, they head to Edmonton to take on the Oilers in Games Three and Four. Playing in front of the Oiler faithful might be a harder task, but Bobrovsky and the rest of the Panthers will make a huge difference if they can skate away with at least one win while in the province of Alberta.
Speaking of the rest of the Panthers, the group in front of Bob deserves credit for helping him out as well. Longtime NHL head coach Paul Maurice has put together a game plan that the rest of the roster has executed well. They make Bob’s job easier. Forwards like Sam Reinhart, Matthew Tkachuk, and Evan Rodrigues (specifically in this series) have been carrying some of the offense. Meanwhile, the defense held down the fort in front of Bobrovsky on this run. Gutsav Forsling, Brandon Montour, Aaron Ekblad, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Niko Mikkola, and Dmitry Kulikov have done what they can to result in only one Oiler goal so far in this series. To do that to an Oiler team that has McDavid, Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, Evander Kane, and Ryan Nugent-Hopkins among others is impressive. The team in front of Bob deserves its fair share of credit. Bobrovsky, the last line of defense for this Florida squad, has just managed to stand out the most. When all is said and done and the Cup is officially won, I think Bobrovsky skates away with the Conn Smythe Trophy. He has stood on his head throughout the playoffs, has played a massive role in helping shut down other star players, and he is a matchup nightmare for all opposing offenses. The Oilers have a little bit of time to plan out their next attack before Game Three. They need to execute it almost to perfection. If they are not successful and Bobrovsky and the Panthers take Game Three, that may basically be a wrap for this Cup Final series.
The Sports Insanity Network 