The Florida Panthers are feeling good about their goaltending.
Starting netminder Sergei Bobrovsky has been steady between the pipes for Florida, showing up with his best in the game’s biggest moments.
While his statistics have left something to be desired – a 2.95 goals against average and .895 save percentage – Bob still holds an 8-2-1 record and has come up with some big, high danger saves in several of those victories.
Young backup Spencer Knight has also played well, and he’s been put in situations far less conducive to have success.
Knight has started in four of Florida’s 15 games. Two have come on the second night of a road back-to-back and one was what the Panthers collectively consider to be their worst game of the season, a 5-2 loss in Buffalo back on Oct. 12.
The 23-year-old has still earned 3-1-0 record along with a .902 save percentage and 2.79 goals against average, and now he’ll be put in a much more favorable situation.
Knight will be in goal when Florida hosts the New Jersey Devils on Tuesday night. It’s a home start with several days between games, much like a starting goalie would face.
Again, like Bobrovsky, Knight’s stats could be better, but those numbers are not the ultimate deciding factor in how the Panthers judge their tendies.
First off, wins are wins, and these goaltenders are doing well to keep Florida in positions to win on a nightly basis.
“I don’t look at Sergei’s stats at all, or Knighter for that matter,” Panthers Head Coach Paul Maurice said on Saturday. “I watch the game. (Goalie coach) Robbie Tallas knows how well they play.”
With Knight, his path back to the NHL after leaving the team in early 2023 to join the NHL/NHLPA player assistance program for a bout with obsessive-compulsive disorder has been well documented.
He returned to the Panthers later that summer and spent last season with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers, easing his way back into the routines and rigors of life as a professional hockey goalie.
By the end of the season, Knight was playing like one of the AHL’s top goaltenders, racking up the shutouts and helping Charlotte make a run to the Calder Cup Playoffs.
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