2023-06-12 17:30:00
The Russian goalkeeper is the main star of the Panthers. And the main hope to cling to the series.
NHL. Stanley Cup. The final
“Vegas” — “Florida” — 3-1 in series
Fifth match – June 14, start – 03:00 (Moscow time)
The statistics of Sergei Bobrovsky following two matches of the Stanley Cup finals were shivering. “Vegas” disassembled the Russian goalkeeper into molecules and disenchanted the savior of “Florida”. Without the heroism of Bobrovsky, the Panthers would not have made it to the golden series. Sergey started the playoffs in the reserve, but appeared at the gate during the first round with Boston – and since then Paul Maurice has not had any doubts regarding which of the goalkeepers to declare as a starter for the games. The Russian produced phenomenal statistics and instilled confidence in his partners with luxurious saves. The field felt that there was a real wall in the goal, which only inspired the hockey players.
In his youth, Bobrovsky was not considered a talent. Lost the competition to the “Canadian from Ethiopia” and swam following the MFM
The start of the series with the Golden Knights for Bobrovsky, like the entire Florida, did not work out. Four missed goals in the first match. Four in the second and a substitution in the 28th minute. Vegas did everything to ruin the life of a Russian. But it seems that two defeats only angered Sergey. Bobrovsky did not swim – this is not regarding him at all. From the third match, the goalkeeper played at the level of previous series: he pulled out super moments, read tricky combinations and left the team with chances for success. In game three, Sergei’s reliability helped earn an overtime in which Carter Verhaegy gave Florida an important win. In the fourth match, alas, Bobrovsky’s magic did not save the Panthers from defeat. Partners were only enough for two goals.
Photo by USA Today Sports
The Panthers don’t score more than two goals in regulation time in the Finals. So far, this is the main problem of Paul Maurice. Even when inspiration returned to Bobrovsky, Florida’s attacking activity was not enough to take the second home game. Vegas fairly won in terms of expected goals (3.98 vs. 2.55). That is, Sergei saved the team from one puck. While Adin Hill (as analyzed by xG) played slightly worse, although the Golden Knights created more dangerous chances (17-10 according to Naturalstattrick).
Florida’s heroic comeback! Bobrovsky and Tkachak returned the intrigue to the Stanley Cup final
Before the final, the chances of Bobrovsky and the leader of the Panthers Matthew Tkachak at the Conn Smythe Trophy were estimated equally. These are the main stars of the team in the playoffs. However, the Vegas series singled out the Panthers’ number one hero, Bobrovsky. Of course, in the winning match, Tkachak took part in every goal, but without Sergey’s saves, Florida would not have dreamed of a heroic comeback. The striker missed part of the fourth game due to an injury while the goalkeeper took the rap for his partners. It is not known in what condition Tkachak will come to the fifth match. Now the Russian is Sunrise’s main hope for the continuation of the final.
Photo by USA Today Sports
After the loss in the fourth game, Bobrovsky reminded that Florida knows how to get out of such a situation. “We have been in this position before. It all comes down to the fact that you need to go moment by moment, period by period, ”said the goalkeeper. The Panthers have no room for error. In order for the series to continue, Sergey needs to play each match at least at the level of the only victorious one. In the final, the Russian plays less reliably than his colleague Hill, but the opponent offers Bobrovsky more work in terms of scoring chances. The “Knights” nightmare Sergei on the penny, blocking the visibility of shots and creating traffic, trying to unbalance the goalkeeper. In the first and second matches, Cassidy’s plan worked. After that, Bobrovsky rebooted and played at the usual level for the current playoffs.
This is all? “Florida” lost at home “Vegas” and runs the risk of being left with nothing
And in order to keep the intrigue in the final, Sergey needs to play the next match incomparably. Then the series will return to Sunrise and the Vegas bliss might be broken. However, if Florida fails to turn the final around, the Russian goalkeeper will not be blamed. At 34, the Forge graduate had the best playoffs of his career and gave the Panthers a real fairy tale. And we will find out in the coming days how it will end.
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