Sergei Bobrovsky's brilliance leads Florida Panthers to second straight Stanley Cup title

SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — The loudest cheers among Florida Panthers fans at Amerant Bank Arena are always for Sergei Bobrovsky.

The “Bob-by!” chants lasted well into the early hours of Wednesday morning after Bobrovksy led the Florida Panthers to their second straight Stanley Cup championship.

Florida fans know how important the veteran goaltender is to their team.

So do the Panthers.

It's why Florida never appeared rattled during its third straight Stanley Cup Final run. The Panthers remained even-keeled, never looking too far ahead, and certainly not harping on the past — mirroring the attitude of their unflappable, two-time Vezina Trophy-winning goaltender.

And Bobrovsky rewarded their trust in him with a brilliant showing in this year's playoffs, which he stamped with a 28-save effort in Florida's 5-1 romp over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6.

“It’s an amazing feeling, obviously,” Bobrovksy said. “I wanted to say thank you to the group of guys. ... the dedication, the sacrifice it’s been amazing. All of my career, I had so many ups and downs, not many people believed in me. That’s why I thank God for this experience. I can’t be more humbled and appreciative.”

He stopped 192 of 209 shots in the final. He nearly had his fourth shutout of the postseason Tuesday before Vasily Podkolzin broke up that bid with the Oilers' only goal with 4:39 left.

With Tuesday's win, Bobrovsky moved to 13-8 in 22 series-clinching games, tying Tampa Bay's Andrei Vasilevskiy (13-9) for the most among active goaltenders.

He was even more dominant than last year's title run, when he was again a key piece in Florida’s success with a .906 save percentage.

Bobrovsky made 42 saves in each of the first two games of the series in Edmonton. Both of which were thrillers, both of which went to overtime. He then held the Oilers to one goal in a Game 3 win, stopping 32 shots to lift the Panthers to a 2-1 series lead.

After the Panthers blew a 3-0 lead in Game 4, Bobrovsky stopped 19 of the 21 shots he faced in a tremendous Game 5 effort by both the goalie and the Florida defense, putting them in a position to clinch the championship on home ice.

“Bob impresses you on a daily basis with just how he prepares and all of the little things that he does to be the best goalie in the world,” defenseman Aaron Ekblad said. “You almost don't want to look him in the eyes sometimes when you're walking around the dressing room because he's just so dialed in. But he really is a down-to-earth guy, too. He's not one of those goalies that worries about his routine and stuff. You can sit and have a chat with him. He's a good person, a good guy.”

Ask Florida's veteran goaltender what he thinks of his success and he will likely sum it up in a few words. He'll express his gratitude and talk about how great it is to play the game he loves. Then he will deflect the attention to his teammates.

That's who he's been since he took the starting job three games into the first round in 2023 and what the Panthers have come to appreciate about him. He's been the calming presence in their locker room amid all kinds of chaos during this dominant three-year run.

“We came in, worked hard, and here we are,” he said.

His focus is always on what it takes to win and his credit always goes to the ones around him.

That simple approach has worked for him.

Going back to the 2023 playoffs, no goalie has more wins, saves or shutouts than Bobrovsky. And he's doing it all at an age — 36 — that most would say he shouldn't — he's the second-oldest goaltender in the last decade with a playoff shutout.

Entering Tuesday, only three other goalies since 1981-82 had won the Vezina Trophy twice and hoisted the Stanley Cup trophy multiple times.

Bobrovsky joined that group on Tuesday.

The others?

They're all Hall of Famers.

AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) and teammates celebrate after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) raises the Stanley Cup after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72), Matthew Tkachuk (19), Gustav Forsling (42) and Tomas Nosek (92) celebrate after defeating the Edmonton Oilers in Game 6 of the Stanley Cup final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky poses in front of fans after winning the Stanley Cup in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky looks on during a stoppage in play during the second period in Game 5 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers in Edmonton, Alberta, Saturday, June 14, 2025. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) protects the net as Edmonton Oilers center Jeff Skinner (53) passes the puck during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) makes a save against the Edmonton Oilers during the first period in Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final in Sunrise, Fla., Tuesday, June 17, 2025. (Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press via AP)

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky (72) takes a break during the first period of Game 6 of the NHL hockey Stanley Cup Final against the Edmonton Oilers, Tuesday, June 17, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Federal agents carrying out immigration arrests in Minnesota's Twin Cities region already shaken by the fatal shooting of a woman rammed the door of one home Sunday and pushed their way inside, part of what the Department of Homeland Security has called its largest enforcement operation ever.

In a dramatic scene similar to those playing out across Minneapolis, agents captured a man in the home just minutes after pepper spraying protesters outside who had confronted the heavily armed federal agents. Along the residential street, protesters honked car horns, banged on drums and blew whistles in attempts to disrupt the operation.

Video of the clash taken by The Associated Press showed some agents pushing back protesters while a distraught woman later emerged from the house with a document that federal agents presented to arrest the man. Signed by an immigration officer, the document — unlike a warrant signed by a judge — does not authorize forced entry into a private residence. A warrant signed by an immigration officer only authorizes arrest in a public area.

Immigrant advocacy groups have conducted extensive “know-your-rights” campaigns urging people not to open their doors unless agents have a court order signed by a judge.

But within minutes of ramming the door in a neighborhood filled with single-family homes, the handcuffed man was led away.

More than 2,000 immigration arrests have been made in Minnesota since the enforcement operation began at the beginning of December, said Homeland Security spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told Fox News on Sunday that the administration would send additional federal agents to Minnesota to protect immigration officers and continue enforcement.

The Twin Cities — the latest target in President Donald Trump’s immigration enforcement campaign — is bracing for what is next after 37-year-old Renee Good was shot and killed by an immigration officer on Wednesday.

“We’re seeing a lot of immigration enforcement across Minneapolis and across the state, federal agents just swarming around our neighborhoods,” said Jason Chavez, a Minneapolis city councilmember. “They’ve definitely been out here.”

Chavez, the son of Mexican immigrants who represents an area with a growing immigrant population, said he is closely monitoring information from chat groups about where residents are seeing agents operating.

People holding whistles positioned themselves in freezing temperatures on street corners Sunday in the neighborhood where Good was killed, watching for any signs of federal agents.

More than 20,000 people have taken part in a variety of trainings to become “observers” of enforcement activities in Minnesota since the 2024 election, said Luis Argueta, a spokesperson for Unidos MN, a local human rights organization .

“It’s a role that people choose to take on voluntarily, because they choose to look out for their neighbors,” Argueta said.

The protests have been largely peaceful, but residents remained anxious. On Monday, Minneapolis public schools will start offering remote learning for the next month in response to concerns that children might feel unsafe venturing out while tensions remain high.

Many schools closed last week after Good’s shooting and the upheaval that followed.

While the enforcement activity continues, two of the state’s leading Democrats said that the investigation into Good's shooting death should not be overseen solely by the federal government.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and U.S. Sen. Tina Smith said in separate interviews Sunday that state authorities should be included in the investigation because the federal government has already made clear what it believes happened.

“How can we trust the federal government to do an objective, unbiased investigation, without prejudice, when at the beginning of that investigation they have already announced exactly what they saw — what they think happened," Smith said on ABC’s "This Week."

The Trump administration has defended the officer who shot Good in her car, saying he was protecting himself and fellow agents and that Good had “weaponized” her vehicle.

Todd Lyons, acting director of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, defended the officer on Fox News Channel’s “The Sunday Briefing.”

"That law enforcement officer had milliseconds, if not short time to make a decision to save his life and his other fellow agents,” he said.

Lyons also said the administration’s enforcement operations in Minnesota wouldn't be needed “if local jurisdictions worked with us to turn over these criminally illegal aliens once they are already considered a public safety threat by the locals.”

The killing of Good by an ICE officer and the shooting of two people by federal agents in Portland, Oregon, led to dozens of protests in cities across the country over the weekend, including New York, Los Angeles, Washington D.C. and Oakland, California.

Contributing were Associated Press journalists Giovanna Dell’Orto in Minneapolis; Thomas Strong in Washington; Bill Barrow in Atlanta; Christopher Weber in Los Angeles; and John Seewer in Toledo, Ohio.

A woman gets into an altercation with a federal immigration officer as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A federal immigration officer deploys pepper spray as officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member, center, reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Bystanders are treated after being pepper sprayed as federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

A family member reacts after federal immigration officers make an arrest Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Federal agents look on after detaining a person during a patrol in Minneapolis, Minn., Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026. (Christopher Katsarov/The Canadian Press via AP)

Bystanders react after a man was detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

People stand near a memorial at the site where Renee Good was fatally shot by an ICE agent, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

A man looks out of a car window after being detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents during a traffic stop, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Robbinsdale, Minn. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Border Patrol agents detain a man, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

People shout toward Border Patrol agents making an arrest, Sunday, Jan. 11, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Adam Gray)

Demonstrators protest outside the White House in Washington, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who fatally shot Renee Good in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey holds a news conference on Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Jen Golbeck)

Protesters react as they visit a makeshift memorial during a rally for Renee Good, who was fatally shot by an ICE officer earlier in the week, Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/John Locher)