BOBROVSKY GETS SHUTOUT, PANTHERS HAVE 3-0 LEAD
The chants of fans in Florida drowned out the public-address announcer at the end of the game Monday night, making it impossible to hear his call of the first star of the game.
Then again, they already knew who it was going to be. “Bobby!” “Bobby!” “Bobby!”
Panthers 1, Hurricanes 0
Sergei Bobrovsky earned those cries from the 20,000 or so who chanted in unison, after leaving no doubt in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final — and putting the Panthers are on the brink of their first trip to the Stanley Cup Final in 27 years. Bobrovsky stopped 32 shots for his first playoff shutout, and the Panthers blanked the Carolina Hurricanes 1-0 on Monday night.
“No matter what the score is, we’re just trying to make it as easy as possible for him,” said Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, who got the game’s lone goal on the power play midway through the second period.
He’s rewarded their work, and then some. Bobrovsky is now 10-1 in his last 11 appearances and has been almost perfect in the last eight games. Going back to Game 1 of Round 2 against Toronto, Bobrovsky has not allowed more than two goals in any contest, with 296 saves on 309 shots — a .958 save percentage.
And if that doesn’t sound absurd enough, try this one: Out of the last 110 shots he’s faced, Bobrovsky has stopped 109 — starting in the third period of the four-OT win in Game 1.
“We’re happy with the ‘W,’ we’re happy with the win, but the next game is going to be a big game,” Bobrovsky said.
It could be Florida’s biggest since 1996. That was the last year in which the Panthers played for the Stanley Cup, but they can clinch a trip to the title round with a win in Game 4 on Wednesday.
This marks the 205th time that a team has taken a 3-0 series lead in NHL playoff history. Of the first 204, 200 went on to win the series. The Panthers are 2-0 when taking the first three games of a series; the Hurricanes are 0-5 when dropping the first three.
“We can’t do much more,” Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour said. “We like how we’re playing, clearly. It’s just, we’ve got to find a way to put one in.”
Matthew Tkachuk and Sam Bennett had the assists on Reinhart’s goal for Florida. It wasn’t a perfect night for Florida, however: Captain Aleksander Barkov left with about 7 minutes left in the first period with a lowerbody injury and did not return, even though the team listed him as questionable. Panthers coach Paul Maurice did not have an update on Barkov’s condition after the game.
Vegas keeps rallying
The Golden Knights certainly know how to rally when they have fallen behind in these NHL playoffs because it has happened so much.
“We’ve got a thick skin,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “It’s veteran guys that know that one goal, getting scored on first, shouldn’t dictate the rest of the game.”
Even though the Knights have trailed in 11 of their 13
games this postseason, including 10 times when the opposing team scored first, they have a 2-0 series lead over Dallas in the Western Conference final. The Stars, who scored first in both of those road games before losing in overtime, host Game 3 tonight.
“Just trying to stick with our game,” Vegas center
Jack Eichel said. “You know you’re not going to be your best every night. But some nights when you’re not at your best, you find ways to win hockey games . ... You just keep working and you hope you get a bounce or someone makes a play.”
That was true Sunday in Game 2, when Eichel’s slick backhand pass late in regulation after a Dallas turnover set up Jonathan Marchessault’s tying goal. And when
Chandler Stephenson made a game-winner 1:12 into overtime by knocking in a rebound during a sloppy line change by the Stars.
“We could have won both games,” Dallas coach Pete DeBoer said. “I don’t think it’s less troubling that we lost both games in overtime . ... There’s mistakes made, and they cashed in.”
The Knights’ current streak of four consecutive comeback victories matches the longest in NHL playoff history — they are 8-3 overall after falling behind, and 7-3 when surrendering the game’s first goal.