Sergei Bobrovsky makes 19 saves in game 2 – Aerial View on Amerant Bank Arena – Courtesy: Shutterstock – Image by YES Market Media
The Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-0 in Game 2 of the Eastern Conference First Round on Thursday at Amalie Arena thanks to 19 saves from Sergei Bobrovsky.
Bobrovsky recorded his first postseason shutout since defeating the Edmonton Oilers 3-0 in Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final, and it was his fourth overall.
“We’ve got a good group of guys, everybody is working for each other,” Bobrovsky stated. “We’re going to recover and prepare for the next one, even if it’s a huge victory. It’s not a single game, but a series. After putting in a strong effort tonight, we will recover, regroup, and prepare for our home game.
Regarding Bobrovsky, Panthers coach Paul Maurice stated: “You can’t be surprised by the amount of time he devotes to being excellent throughout his career. For those in the vicinity who get to witness it, it’s merely a beautiful life lesson. Develop your craft if you wish to improve. You can play games like this where he’s just so good and so right if you put in the time and find the delight in it.
Florida has a 2-0 lead in the best-of-seven series. Game 3 will air on TBS, TRU, MAX, FDSNSUN, and SCRIPPS on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET in Sunrise, Florida.
The Panthers, the third-seeded team in the Atlantic Division, scored goals from Nate Schmidt and Sam Bennett.
At 9:51 of the third period, Tampa Bay winger Brandon Hagel hit Florida forward Aleksander Barkov away from the play, resulting in an unreported injury. After a video review, Hagel was given a major penalty. Barkov’s condition was not updated by Maurice.
“He is everything. About Barkov, who earned an assist, Panthers forward Anton Lundell remarked, “He’s our captain, he’s our leader.” Although we must be able to step up, it is obvious that we would never want him out of the starting lineup. The entire season, he has been carrying us. We have an obligation to him to take charge and see that the task is completed.
The Lightning, the No. 2 seed from the Atlantic, had 21 saves from Andrei Vasilevskiy.
Hagel remarked, “It was a better effort tonight,” “Obviously, not the result, still down 2-0, but we can learn from the effort that we put out tonight.”
At 4:15 of the first period, Schmidt beat Vasilevskiy to the far post with a one-timer from above the right circle to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. From the left point, Sam Reinhart made the setup pass.
Schmidt, who also scored the game-winning goal in Tuesday’s 6-2 victory in Game 1, scored his third goal of the series.
Tampa Bay was able to kill off all five minutes to preserve the game tied at one goal with 5:09 left after Hagel was given the major penalty for hitting Barkov.
“The referees make the call,” stated Jon Cooper, the coach of the Lightning. Was I somewhat taken aback by the fact that it was a five? However, it was. We had to dig in after they made that call, and I believe the boys did a fantastic job of it. Five minutes with eight or nine minutes remaining in a 1-0 game. It’s difficult to be in that circumstance.
But with four seconds remaining, Bennett scored an empty-net goal to seal the 2-0 victory.
“It’s exactly what we wanted to do, come in here and win the first two,” Bennett stated. “The games aren’t flawless, of course. We made a few blunders tonight, but that’s inevitable. Individuals are supporting and rescuing one another, and ‘Bobby’ performed brilliantly in the net and helped us out a lot.”
Just 53 seconds into the game, Jake Guentzel had a chance to give Tampa Bay the lead, but his attempt at an open net went over the crossbar.
Then, at 1:52 of the first period, Brayden Point, a Lightning forward, had a point-blank opportunity, but he missed the open goal high and wide left. Later, at 17:57 of the second period, Bobrovsky stopped Point by himself in the slot.
“We’ve got to get more pucks to the net and try to create some havoc that way and maybe break them down,” Guentzel stated. “You’ve got to get people in front of Bobrovsky.”
At 16:33 of the third period, Bobrovsky also stopped a slap shot from J.J. Moser, who had an open look from the right circle, with a glove save.
Cooper remarked, “We had enough chances,” “Some nights, in fact, most nights, they go in in a game this close. Unfortunately, they didn’t tonight. It’s difficult. There are two strong teams—strong, close teams. That’s what happens: teams check. The playoffs are here.
Bennett said of Bobrovsky: “It’s rather amazing. We’ve seen it for the past few years, of course. He simply seems to be more at his best when the situation becomes more significant. Tonight, he made several amazing saves. It’s amazing to witness.”
In the third period, the Panthers were 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and limited the Lightning to just three attempts on goal.
The words “we defended very well,” Lundell said. “We did not offer them too much. Before Bob arrived, we were acting really aggressively.
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Chris began his writing as a hobby while attending Florida Southern College in Lakeland, Florida. Today he and his wife live in the Orlando area with their three children and dog.
