“Backbone” of Team, Sergei Bobrovsky Notches 400th Win

It’s hard to get Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to be sentimental about his own individual performances. The “backbone” of the team, as Matthew Tkachuk called him Thursday night, Bobrovsky will rarely crack a smile in postgame interviews, even after some of his biggest performances.

He doesn’t think too much of the past or future. He said as much at media day this year.

“As long as your career goes on, all the achievements, you’re going to appreciate after your career,” Bobrovsky said at the start of training camp. “You know, when you are in it, you’re trying to concentrate on the one moment at your hands.”

As far as moments go, Thursday night was a pretty fun one to concentrate on.

The 36-year-old came into the matchup against the New York Rangers with 399 career wins. The tilt at Madison Square Garden was a rematch of the Eastern Conference finals the Panthers won just four months prior. He had a chance to clinch his 400th on Tuesday in front of a near-sellout home crowd against the Minnesota Wild. Instead, he allowed five goals on 16 shots and was chased from the game after two periods.

Thursday was no easier. His job? Face a potent Rangers offense that was averaging 4.4 goals per game.

The second shot the Rangers got to the net was a goal from Alexis Lafrenière. After that, Bobrovsky settled in. Oh, did he settle in.

The Rangers would throw 23 more shots at him, including nine high-danger shots, according to Natural Stat Trick.

He stopped all of them.

Bobway > Broadway pic.twitter.com/fUnfRyYkYi

— Jameson Olive (@JamesonCoop) October 25, 2024

With goals from Carter Verhaeghe, Anton Lundell, and Sam Bennett, the Panthers beat New York, 3-1, and gave Bobrovsky his 400th win.

Bobrovsky is the fastest goalie to reach 400 wins, doing so in 707 games. The second on that list? Legendary Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist. He did it in 727 games.

“It’s special,” Bobrovsky said. “If you look at the list, those guys are legends. It’s definitely a privilege to be on the same (list) with them.”

A video posted by the Florida Panthers team X account showed Bobrovksy addressing the team after the 3-1 win, unable to wrangle in his smile.

“I am so fortunate to be part of this team, part of this group,” Bobrovsky said. “I enjoy every minute, every second of it.”

Matthew Tkachuk was glowing when speaking about Bobrovsky, calling him “the backbone” of the team.

“What he’s done, not many people have,” Tkachuk said. “What an incredible goalie, what an incredible competitor. Just an amazing guy and teammate. I’m so lucky to be able to play with him, so lucky to be able to learn from him.”

Bobrovsky, already a two-time Vezina winner, was again a finalist for the award last year. He allowed 2.37 goals per game with a .915 save percentage. He didn’t waver at all in the postseason. The Russia native gave up 2.32 goals per game en route to winning his — and the franchise’s — first Stanley Cup. He pitched two shutouts in last year’s playoffs, both coming in the series openers against the Rangers and Edmonton Oilers.

In typical Bobrovsky fashion, he described Thursday night as “a big two points for us.” Almost all questions about his milestone were deflected to talking about his teammates.

“I’m fortunate to play with great teammates, to have good coaches, to have good support. Parents, wife, family, everybody, and obviously God.”