Sergei Bobrovsky of Novokuznetsk, Russia recorded his sixth career National Hockey League Stanley Cup Playoff shutout on Thursday. He accomplished the feat in a 5-0 Panthers win over the Carolina Hurricanes at the Lenovo Center in Raleigh, North Carolina. With the victory, the Panthers lead the Hurricanes two games to none in the Eastern Conference Finals.
Inside look at the shutout
It was not a very busy night for Bobrovsky, as he only had to make 17 saves. He made three saves in the first period, four saves in the second period, and 10 saves in the third period. Jack Roslovic of Columbus, Ohio and defenseman Dmitry Orlov of Novokuznetsk led the Hurricanes with three shots on goal each. To put things into perspective, these were the fewest number of saves Bobrovsky has ever had to make for a playoff shutout.
Who contributed to Florida offensively?
Two Panthers players led the franchise with three points each. Sam Bennett of Holland Landing, Ontario had two goals and one assist for three points, and Carter Verhaeghe of Toronto, Ontario had three assists for three points.
Three more Panthers players had a multi-point game. Matthew Tkachuk of Scottsdale, Arizona had one goal and one assist for two points, defenseman Aaron Ekblad of Windsor, Ontario had two assists, and Evan Rodrigues of Toronto also had two assists. The other two Panthers goal scorers were Aleksander Barkov of Tampere, Finland and defenseman Gustav Forsling of Linkoping, Sweden.
Inside look at Bobrovsky’s five prior playoff shutouts
Bobrovsky’s first playoff shutout came on May 22, 2023 in game three of the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals, in a 1-0 Panthers win over the Carolina Hurricanes. Then on May 22, 2024, in game one of the 2024 Eastern Conference Finals, Bobrovsky had a 3-0 Panthers win over the New York Rangers. That was followed by a shutout on June 8, 2024 in game one of the 2024 Stanley Cup Finals, a 3-0 Panthers win over the Edmonton Oilers. Then this season, Bobrovsky made 19 saves in a 2-0 Panthers win over the Tampa Bay Lightning on April 24 in game two of the first round, and then 23 saves in a 2-0 Panthers win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on May 11 in game four of the second round.
