Sergei Bobrovsky cost the Toronto Maple Leafs a win (or at least an overtime loss) on Wednesday night against the Seattle Kraken. The 38-year-old netminder allowed a brutal goal with just 30 seconds left in the game -- less than a minute after captain Auston Matthews tied the game in what should've been a hardfought path to overtime.
The Leafs could have at least walked away from a terrible game in Seattle with one point in the standings and a little bit of confidence that they came back from a multi-goal deficit. Instead, their goaltender -- who was the big-ticket free agent and is a month into his Toronto tenure -- let a puck squeeze through him and cost them that opportunity.
And it didn't really get any better after the game.
Sergei Bobrovsky gave the worst answer possible after Kraken loss
While speaking with the Leafs media after the game, he was asked about his performance and reflected more on his season overall.
“I feel good. I feel strong,” Bobrovsky said to reporters after the game. “There is works going, you know. There is a process. There is mistakes sometimes here and there but overall I feel confident. All I can care about is the next shot.”
It's a fine assessment of his entire season and some of his mentality to wash away whatever goal he just allowed. It's part of being a top-tier NHL goaltender. But, it only comes off as someone who isn't that caring about allowing such a brutal goal. A goal that completely washed away the previous 60 minutes of effort from the skaters in front of you and wasted a game that could have been a milestone for some, or at least a touchpoint on the path to the playoffs for this team.
Bobrovsky continued and stressed that he just wants to put the game behind him and it was just another performance.
“You try to reset, you know. Rest, regroup, put it behind,” he said. “It’s emotions. It’s a long season, and over a course of the long season in the NHL, there’s different things could happen. I’m gonna stay consistent. I’m gonna stay focused, and I’m gonna keep working.”
We don't necessarily blame him for not going into a big long speech about how he's the worst goalie to ever step foot in Toronto or how he ruined that game for them by allowing such a weak goal. But on the other hand, it wasn't real or true accountability coming from the goalie that might be a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer.
It's a long season, yeah, but it could be more pointless if games like that one in Seattle keep happening and the Maple Leafs are undone by their goaltending.
Bobrovsky owns an .885 save percentage and a 3.29 goals against average in 10 appearances for the Leafs.
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