Florida Panthers’ goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky struggled in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, with just 38 saves on 46 shots due to difficulty seeing the puck. However, his team is confident in his abilities and will stick with him for Game 3. Bobrovsky has been in excellent form since Round 1, going 11-1-0 with a .942/1.95. The Panthers need to improve their play in front of him, with Matthew Tkachuk highlighting the need for better line changes, back checking, and holding pucks in the offensive zone. The Panthers have also struggled with missed assignments off the rush, which has allowed the Vegas Golden Knights to capitalize.
After a disappointing 7-2 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final, the Florida Panthers are vowing to play better in front of their goaltender, Sergei Bobrovsky. Despite being pulled from the game after allowing four goals, the Panthers know that Bobrovsky was not to blame for the loss.
Bobrovsky has had trouble seeing the puck in the opening two games of the series, sometimes due to Vegas beating Florida in net-front battles, and other times due to his own teammate failing to block a shot. However, the Panthers are confident that Bobrovsky can return to form, given his impressive performance in previous games.
Since taking the net back from Alex Lyon in Round 1 against the Bruins, Bobrovsky has been on fire, going 11-1-0 with a .942/1.95. Panthers coach Paul Maurice has complete faith in Bobrovsky and will stick with him in Game 3.
“We can be a little better in front of our goaltender, and he’s been unbelievable for us,” Maurice said after the game. “I got him out to keep him rested.”
Matthew Tkachuk had a laundry list of things the Panthers had to do to improve in front of Bobrovsky. For a team that has been outscored 10-2 in its last four periods, it is fair to say that they need to step up their game.
“It starts with line changes, back checking, holding pucks in the offensive zone, being closer together, not getting shots blocked and getting pucks in,” Tkachuk said. “They are a good forechecking team like us, so we have to clean our plays in the defensive zone, but they do the majority of their stuff off the rush, so we just have to shut down the rush game.”
The Panthers have allowed multiple missed assignments off the rush, allowing the Golden Knights to string together passes to streaking forwards in the offensive and neutral zones, and it has cost them dearly.
Vegas deploys a system where a player on the boards acts as a bumper while the trailer comes into the middle and swings by. The Panthers need to be more aware of this and make sure they are not caught out of position.
Despite the disappointing loss, the Panthers are not giving up. They know that they need to play better in front of Bobrovsky and are determined to do so in Game 3. Fans can show their support for the Panthers by subscribing to Florida Hockey Now, which has everything they need to impress their friends.
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