Bobrovsky Hits 450 Wins, Panthers Snap Skid with Shootout Thriller Over Bruins
SUNRISE, Fla. - On a night when the Panthers desperately needed a spark, Sergei Bobrovsky delivered in a big way - again.
The veteran netminder turned aside 25 shots through regulation and overtime, then shut the door in the shootout with three more stops to secure a 5-4 win over the Boston Bruins. The victory not only snapped Florida’s four-game losing streak, it also marked a major milestone for Bobrovsky: his 450th career win, making him just the eighth goaltender in NHL history to reach that mark.
“It’s important,” Bobrovsky said after the game. “Not just for the points or who we played, but for the emotion in the room. That feeling of winning, of building chemistry - that’s what we need right now.”
The Panthers, now 29-24-3, showed plenty of that emotional edge Wednesday night at Amerant Bank Arena. From special teams grit to timely scoring, they pieced together one of their gutsiest performances of the season - and it came against a Bruins team that’s been rolling.
A Wild Start, and a Response
Florida thought they had jumped out to an early lead when Sam Bennett found the back of the net, but Boston successfully challenged for offside and the goal was wiped off the board. No matter. Just minutes later, Eetu Luostarinen capitalized on a Bruins turnover and ripped one past Joonas Korpisalo to officially open the scoring.
Boston answered quickly, with Michael Eyssimont slipping behind the Florida defense and sneaking a shot through Bobrovsky’s five-hole to tie it at 1-1.
The Panthers were dealt a pair of tough blows in the first period as well. Rookie forward Sandis Vilmanis exited with an upper-body injury and did not return.
Later in the game, defenseman Tobias Bjornfot also left with an injury. Head coach Paul Maurice didn’t sound optimistic about Bjornfot’s availability moving forward.
“I think Sandis is good; I don’t think Tobi will be a player for us,” Maurice said. “We’ve got three guys who played tonight that likely won’t be in tomorrow.”
Power Play Sparks, Penalty Kill Holds
After falling behind 2-1 on an Eyssimont breakaway goal straight out of the penalty box, the Panthers wasted no time responding. Just 30 seconds into the second period, Uvis Balinskis tied the game on the power play with a laser from the left circle - his second goal in as many games.
“Uvis has just been so good for us,” Maurice said. “To find a guy like that playing in the Czech league and have him come in here and run our power play - it’s a credit to our scouting staff and to him.”
The Panthers kept the momentum rolling. Still on the man advantage, Matthew Tkachuk cleaned up his own rebound and banked it in off Korpisalo to give Florida a 3-2 lead.
Since making his season debut on Jan. 19, Tkachuk has scored three goals in his last four games - a welcome sign for a team that needs his offensive punch.
Bobrovsky came up big late in the second with several key saves on a penalty kill, and Florida turned that defensive stand into offense. With under two minutes left in the period and still shorthanded, Anton Lundell finished off a slick feed from Sam Reinhart on the rush to stretch the lead to 4-2.
Lundell, who’s been stepping up in the absence of captain Aleksander Barkov, finished with a three-point night (1G, 2A) and was named the game’s second star.
“I just try to do my best,” Lundell said. “We all know where we are in the standings.
All we can do is improve our game and win as many as we can. These games are big.”
Bruins Push Back, Bobrovsky Slams the Door
The Bruins weren’t going away quietly. In the third period, Mark Kastelic tipped in a point shot from Charlie McAvoy to cut the deficit to 4-3. Then, on their sixth power play of the night, Boston finally broke through the Panthers’ penalty kill as Casey Mittelstadt buried a rebound to tie things up at 4-4.
Despite the pressure, Florida’s PK unit continued to battle. They killed off yet another Bruins power play late in regulation - their seventh of the game - with Bobrovsky making several clutch stops.
“The PK was great,” Bobrovsky said. “The guys fought.
They had good sticks. It’s an important part of our game, and the guys stood tall.”
Overtime brought plenty of chances but no goals, setting up a shootout finish. That’s where Bobrovsky once again proved why he’s one of the best to ever do it. He turned away all three Boston attempts, while Lundell and Brad Marchand converted for Florida to seal the win.
With the shootout victory, the Panthers improved to 2-0-0 against the Bruins this season.
Stepping Up When It Counts
This was the kind of game that could shift momentum for a team looking to find its rhythm. Maurice pointed to several standout performances - Reinhart, Lundell, Bobrovsky, and Gustav Forsling among them - as key to the win.
“Some incredible performances,” Maurice said. “Reinhart was just so good.
I think I had Lundell at 16 minutes through two periods. Bobrovsky.
Forsling. So many guys played incredibly hard.”
The team’s depth was on full display. Forsling logged a team-high 30:48 of ice time.
Reinhart continued his strong two-way play. Evan Rodrigues dominated in the faceoff circle, winning 64.3% of his draws.
And the Panthers blocked shots all night, with Aaron Ekblad and Niko Mikkola each recording four.
Bobrovsky, meanwhile, made 12 high-danger saves, according to NaturalStatTrick.com - and none bigger than the trio he stopped in the shootout.
“It’s important to have that emotion, to have that winning feeling,” Bobrovsky said. “It builds the chemistry and builds the locker room.”
What’s Next
The Panthers have one more game before the break, and it’s a big one - a rivalry matchup against the Tampa Bay Lightning on Thursday night at Benchmark International Arena. Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET.
If Wednesday night was any indication, Florida might just be finding its groove at the perfect time.