Riding the Hot Hand
Dissecting the Panthers’ three goalie monster
Riding the Hot Hand
BOB: Sergei Bobrovsky, the two-time Vezina Trophy winner with the Columbus Blue Jackets, played well for the Florida Panthers in the 2020-21 regular season. He finished with a 19-8 record allowing 2.91 goals against and a .906 save percentage.
However, the playoffs have not been kind to the 11-year NHL veteran. Since his NHL debut on October 7, 2010, Bobrovsky has posted a 13-23 record in the playoffs with 3.24 goals per game and a .899 save percentage.
In the 2020-21 playoffs thus far, Bobrovsky allowed 10 goals on just 63 shots. While conceding 5.33 goals per game, including a .841 save percentage, the Panthers shifted to Chris Driedger.
Middle Man: The Ottawa Senators drafted Chris Driedger in the 3rd round as the 76th overall pick in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft. He made his NHL debut on March 26, 2015, though he didn’t get his first career start until November 30, 2019, as a member of the Florida Panthers.
Driedger logged a 14-6-3 record in the 2020-21 regular season and allowed 2.07 goals per game, with a .927 save percentage. However, Driedger has conceded 3.70 goals per game, along with a .871 save percentage. While Driedger earned the start in games 2 and 3 of the series, he has allowed 8 goals on merely 62 shots. As the inconsistency continued, the Panthers started Spencer Knight for Game 5.
Knight Rising: Spencer Knight was selected in the 1st round as the 13th overall selection by the Florida Panthers in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft. Knight has played in 4 games this year, including the 2020-21 postseason, while starting 3 games. In those contests, Knight conceded 2.32 goals per game behind a .919 save percentage.
When Spencer Knight made his Stanley Cup Playoff debut on Monday, he became the youngest goalie to play in the postseason since Martin Brodeur. Knight made his debut when he was 20 years and 35 days old, while Brodeur was 19 years and 357 days old.
In Monday’s Game 5 versus the Tampa Bay Lightning, Knight allowed a goal in the first minute of play, though he was phenomenal after. Knight stopped 36 of 37 shots while leading the Panthers to victory and forcing Game 6. While coach Joel Quenneville has yet to confirm who will be in net tonight, all signs are pointing to Spencer Knight.
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A Question for the Peanut Gallery
Will Spencer Knight start tonight for the Florida Panthers in Game 6?
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