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)

LAS VEGAS (AP) — William Nylander, who leads the Maple Leafs in scoring, went to the locker room late in the first period of Toronto's Thursday night game against the Vegas Golden Knights with a lower-body injury.

Teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson also left the ice in the first, but returned for the second period.

The Maple Leafs said that Nylander would not return to the game.

He entered the game with a team-leading 30 assists and 46 points. Nylander added to those totals with a goal and an assist against the Golden Knights.

His overtime goal gave the Maple Leafs a 4-3 victory at Colorado on Monday night to end the Avalanche's 17-game home winning streak.

The 11-year veteran has been an ironman for the Maple Leafs, having appeared in all 82 games each of the past three seasons and in 81 games in 2021-22. However, he had just returned to action Saturday after missing six games with a lower-body injury.

AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl

Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, left, celebrates with right wing William Nylander after his goal in overtime of an NHL hockey game against the Colorado Avalanche Monday, Jan. 12, 2026, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)