Sergei Bobrovsky Dominates for Florida Panthers After Birth of Daughter

Sergei Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots in a 3-1 Panthers win after returning from a two-game absence which allowed him to witness the birth of his second daughter.

SUNRISE, Fla. — Days after witnessing the birth of his second daughter, Sergei Bobrovsky put up a vintage performance in a 3-1 Florida Panthers win over the San Jose Sharks.

The 36-year-old netminder spent some time away during its two-game trip in Pennsylvania last week to support his wife through the process, and he did not miss a beat upon his return on Saturday.

“It’s a blessing to be a part of and see how my second daughter was born,” Bobrovsky said. “It’s a unique experience and I am happy to be there with my wife and now I’m happy to be here with my other family on the ice.”

Bobrovsky stopped 28 of 29 shots, holding a shutout bid until the final minutes of the third period. That was spoiled by a Tyler Toffoli deflection on a power play with 1:25 to go, but it did not change how special of a moment it was for him and his family and how dominant of a performance it was for his team.

“You were hoping it could be nice to have a shutout for the baby girl,” Maurice said. “But he was really sharp and really on, and I would imagine that there was a bit of freedom in his game, too. That’s a lot of waiting for a new baby to arrive, and then a lot of joy in the net. So, he was great.”

In an up-and-down season for Bobrovksy, who boasts a 12-5-1 record with a .894 save percentage and a 2.93 goals-against average months after leading Florida to its first Stanley Cup, it was arguably one of his best performances of the season. And it was also one of the best defensive performances from the team in front of him.

His Florida teammates knew exactly how much this game meant for him, and they showed out.

Matthew Tkachuk gave the Panthers the lead just 23 seconds into the game and they did not relent from there. Florida outshot San Jose 52-29, they led 40-30 in scoring chances, Tkachuk and Aleksander Barkov tacked on some goal support and Bobrovsky locked things down.

He stopped eight of the nine high-danger shots he faced and made it look easy.

“It was a very important win for him,” Matthew Tkachuk said. “It was his first win with a house of four. We’re very happy for him and we know that he’s had a lot of family time for the last little bit. It’s so special for him to welcome another baby.

“He didn’t look distracted out there today. He was amazing. He’s just always been the backbone of this team and always will be for us to have success.”

After a week away from his Panthers teammates — his Panthers family — Bobrovsky’s mind is clear and his heart is full. And he’s ready to play some more hockey.

“I’m blessed to have a great family back home and I’m blessed to have a great family here,” Bobrovsky said.