Bobrovsky, Panthers Shut Down Bruins, Snap B's Win Streak
The Boston Bruins (43-25-8) kicked off a four-game road trip with a surprising defeat to the lowly Florida Panthers (37-35-3) on Thursday night in Florida. Sergei Bobrovsky stole this one for Florida. He went into playoff Bob mode, making 28 saves.
Moneypuck. com credited Bobrovsky with 3. 42 Goals Saved Above Expected, a shockingly high figure and elite performance.
Boston had a sloppy start to the game, with two huge mistakes from Henri Jokiharju winding up in the back of the net. The first goal came off a brutal turnover behind the net, then screening his own goaltender, allowing Mackie Samoskevich to pick his spot. Then, Seth Jones outmuscled Jokiharju in the corner, jostling free a puck.
Former Bruin AJ Greer fired a shot that blocked down into Sam Bennett's lap. Bennett rifled it over a sliding Jokiharju, 2-0 Florida just 7:39 in, and it was all they needed. Fraser Minten made it 2-1 with 27 seconds to go in the first period, collecting a loose rebound and chipping it in after great work down low from Marat Khusnutdinov.
Bruins Head Coach Marco Sturm tried many tricks, including swapping Pastrnak and Lukas Reichel, to try and find an equalizer. Ultimately, Bobrovsky was just too good tonight. 15 third-period shots weren't enough in a period spent almost entirely in Florida's zone.