The Florida Panthers have taken a 1-0 series lead in the Stanley Cup Final. And goalie Sergei Bobrovsky is a major reason for their victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Saturday night. The veteran goaltender secured a huge shutout over Edmonton despite the Panthers managing just 17 shots on goal.
Bobrovsky's elite performance in Game 1 saw him achieve a number of feats. Perhaps the most notable is a new record set by the Panthers netminder. He is now the oldest player in NHL history to begin the Stanley Cup Final with a shutout, according to NHL Public Relations. The previous record holder was Roberto Luongo, who recorded a shutout in Game 1 in 2011.
Additionally, Bobrovsky made a bit of team history on Saturday. He earned the first-ever shutout by a Panthers goalie in the Stanley Cup Final. Furthermore, his win in Game 1 marked the first time that Florida ever took a series lead in the Stanley Cup Final. Before this, Florida had won just one game in two Final appearances.
Sergei Bobrovsky steers Florida to win
Bobrovsky brought his A-Game early in Game 1 on Saturday. Florida dealt with early pressure from the Oilers in the first period. But the Panthers soon found the back of the net. Carter Verhaeghe scored on the team's first shot on goal to make it 1-0. His goal snapped a 17-year drought in the Stanley Cup Final.
In the second period, the Panthers struck again. Sam Bennett dumped the puck in deep and caught Edmonton's defense lacking. He passed the puck in front of goal to Evan Rodrigues who buried it. The Panthers took a 2-0 lead in the middle frame. At the other end, Bobrovsky made more unreal saves to ward off the Oilers' attack.
Florida and Edmonton played more closely contested third period. However, Edmonton couldn't break through. Bobrovsky withstood the storm as the Oilers peppered him with shots. In the end, Eetu Luostarinen scored an empty net goal in the dying embers to officially close out Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final.
Panthers react to Game 1 shutout
The heroics of Sergei Bobrovsky certainly didn't go unnoticed following Game 1. His Panthers teammates used their media availability to sing the praises of the 35-year-old netminder. Rodrigues was one of the Florida players to give the veteran puck-stopper his flowers on Saturday night.
“A couple big saves early. I’m sure for a goalie that gets you into the game. He was incredible tonight. He did everything for us,” Rodrigues said, via Jameson Olive, after Game 1 of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.
Panthers star Matthew Tkachuk also sang the praises of Bobrovsky on Saturday. “He's everything you want in a teammate, especially a goalie. He is everything. Very impressed with the way he played tonight. Especially early. Honestly, throughout the whole night, he was really good. He was there for us,” Tkachuk said, via Caitlin Daly.
The Panthers are now three wins away from their first Stanley Cup in franchise history. But the work is far from over this year. Florida and the Oilers hit the ice once again on Monday night for Game 2. It'll certainly be interesting to see whether Sergei Bobrovsky keeps up his impressive performance, or if the Oilers can even the series before it shifts to Edmonton.
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