FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Sergei Bobrovsky was conspicuously absent from practice Sunday as part of the Florida Panthers’ plan to get the goalie back into his usual routine ahead of Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers at Amerant Bank Arena on Monday (8 p.m.; ABC, ESPN+, SN, TVAS, CBC).
The Panthers expect the 35-year-old to be back on top of his game Monday when they need him most, though, as they attempt to end a three-game losing streak and win the Stanley Cup for the first time.
“We certainly know that he’s going to get really dialed in for us,” Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk said Sunday. “He has been for two years. It has been outstanding the way he prepares, his focus. We talked in the last few days, talked after Game 6, the players, about how we can get better. Now everybody’s ready.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice explained that Bobrovsky did not practice on the day before games during the first three rounds of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, when the games were mostly every other day, but did when there were two-day breaks in the Cup Final before Games 3, 5 and 6. So, to get Bobrovsky back into his previous rhythm, Bobrovsky skipped practice Sunday (along with defenseman Aaron Ekblad, who has been resting on off days throughout the series) and will participate in Florida’s morning skate Monday.
“As we’ve gotten further along, we wanted to get him back into routine on the day before,” Maurice said. “So, it’s to get back to an actual repeatable pattern, even though the days aren’t lined up the same.”
Bobrovsky looked like he might run away with the Conn Smythe Trophy as most valuable player of the playoffs after he stopped 82 of 86 shots for a 1.33 goals-against average and .953 save percentage in winning the first three games of the Cup Final, including a 32-save shutout in a 3-0 victory in Game 1. But his play has dropped off with the rest of the Panthers in losing three-straight games to set up a Game 7 in the Cup Final for the first time since 2019.
He’s given up 12 goals on 58 shots the past three games for a 5.06 GAA and .793 save percentage, including being pulled in the second period of an 8-1 loss in Game 4 after giving up five goals on 16 shots.
“It’s definitely not his fault,” Tkachuk said. “It’s on us to tighten up defensively, get off to better starts. We’ve been trailing in each of the last three games, which might open you up a little bit and cost you more chances against. So, we have to be a lot better in front of him. So, it’s definitely, definitely not his fault. Absolutely not.”
Maurice said he thought Bobrovsky played well in Florida’s 5-1 loss in Game 6 on Friday. Bobrovsky allowed three goals on 19 shots before Edmonton scored two empty-net goals to complete the scoring. Each of the Oilers’ goals against Bobrovsky in Game 6 came on odd-man rushes as they jumped out to a 3-0 lead for the second straight game.
“I thought he was strong and solid,” Maurice said. “Now, we were kind to him, and we didn’t give up a short-handed breakaway to start the game. I thought that was good of us. We cut down on those for him and gave him a chance. We’re going to try that again tomorrow, but I he looked good.”
