The Florida Panthers are in a bit of a tough spot in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. So, they’re down 2-0 in the series, and with the next game at home, the Panthers are really feeling the heat to turn things around against the Toronto Maple Leafs. After the Panthers’ 4-3 loss to the Maple Leafs in Game 2, Florida head coach Paul Maurice was quick to say that he wasn’t blaming goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
According to a report from the NY Times, the coach mentioned, “Um, didn’t love his first game, but I thought up until the fourth one (tonight), I don’t look at him for any of the first three. We didn’t give up a tremendous lot, but the danger (chances) on the rush is significant. Goalie’s going to be fine.’’
Maurice wasn’t too impressed with Bobrovsky’s play in Game 1, but he really stood up for his veteran goalie after Game 2, particularly when it came to those first three goals from Toronto. The Panthers coach mentioned that even though Florida didn’t give up a lot of shots overall, the quality of the chances they did allow — particularly during rushes — was quite risky.
This put Bobrovsky in some tough spots where making saves would be really challenging for any goalie. Also, Maurice really believes that Bobrovsky will turn things around as the series goes on. So, how did the goalie’s stats turn out after the game? Bobrovsky saw 20 shots and managed to save 16 of them, giving him a .800 save percentage in the 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs.
The NHL goalie’s recent performance has been a bit rough, with him letting in at least three goals in four out of his last five games. His goals-against average sits at 3.67, and his save percentage is at .850 during this time. So, how have the Panthers responded to this loss?
Paul Maurice’s forward was quite honest about the game
Since Paul Maurice took the helm, the Florida Panthers have really accomplished a lot. The players are pretty open about it when they mess up on the ice. After a tough Game 2, Brad Marchand mentioned, “You know, their biggest threat is they’re very good on the rush. I mean, you’ve got to be above them. It seemed like every time we gave them the opportunity to get above us, they created something or capitalized on it. It doesn’t take much for them to score, you know. So we just have to make sure that we’re pretty much perfect out there on our defensive coverage.”
The Panthers forward was trying to say that the Maple Leafs are really good at creating scoring chances, especially when they quickly move the puck up the ice after a turnover or a defensive stop.
Marchand mentioned that it doesn’t take much for Toronto to score, and with fast and skilled forwards like Mitch Marner and William Nylander, even a small defensive mistake can result in a quick goal. Every time they’re on the ice, the Panthers really need to keep an eye on things and make sure their goalie isn’t left hanging all by themselves.
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