While much of the attention on the struggling back end of the Toronto Maple Leafs this season has centered on the crease, newcomer Sergei Bobrovsky has not been at his best.
After one of his worst seasons with the Florida Panthers last year, fans hoped the 38-year-old goaltender would rebound, but that hasn't happened. His goals-against average has taken an even further step back to 3.29 through ten starts, to go with a 3-5-2 record and a .885 save percentage.
Much of Leafs Nation believes the Russian netminder may simply be past his prime and that Toronto signed him at his worst. It's worth noting, though, that Bobrovsky has had slow starts before.
When he first made the jump from the Columbus Blue Jackets and signed his seven-year, $70 million deal with the Panthers in 2019, fans quickly poked holes in the move as he went on to one of the worst seasons of his career, posting a 23-19-6 record, 3.23 goals-against average and .900 save percentage in 50 appearances. Florida still finished with a winning record at 35-26-8 and made the playoffs.
Bobrovsky had another down year in 2022-23, going 24-20-3 with a 3.07 goals-against average and .901 save percentage. Once again, the Panthers made the playoffs, and that season they went all the way to the Stanley Cup Final before losing to the Vegas Golden Knights.
Slow starts have long been the norm for Bobrovsky
Even in his standout years, Bobrovsky has gotten out to slow starts. In his only September start of his career, earlier this season, he allowed three goals on 24 shots in a 3-2 loss to the Montreal Canadiens in the season opener.
His October numbers drive the point home, with a 58-47-9 record, 2.86 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in 116 games. November is where his numbers improve, with a 77-40-11 record, 2.58 goals-against average and .912 save percentage in 132 games.
While it has been a rough start, his underlying numbers aren't that bad, though goals saved above expected shows room for improvement. He sits at even, ranking 32nd among 74 qualifying goaltenders. Some of his numbers are still promising, like his 573 saves on unblocked shot attempts, which rank seventh in the NHL, and his 255 total saves, which rank ninth.
The schedule is no excuse for Bobrovsky as some of his lackluster starts have come against the league's weaker offenses, including the Calgary Flames, New York Rangers and New York Islanders, who all rank in the bottom 13 in offense this season.
History suggests a bounce back is coming soon, and it could very well come Tuesday night. Bobrovsky will look to steady the ship for a Maple Leafs team that has dropped two of its last three games and has its hands full with a Utah Mammoth team that already beat Toronto 5-4 this season, though Anthony Stolarz was in net for the Leafs in that loss.
Bobrovsky has largely dominated Utah over his career, going 3-1-0 with eight goals against on 90 shots for a 1.98 goals-against average and .911 save percentage in four starts. It could be the perfect opportunity for him to finally find his footing as a Maple Leaf.
Add us as a preferred source on Google