Panthers Coach's 'Fine' Goalie Message Before Game 3 vs. Maple Leafs

The Florida Panthers trail the Toronto Maple Leafs 2-0 in their second-round series after another shaky outing from goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.

Although Bobrovsky has allowed four and five goals to start the series, head coach Paul Maurice is standing by his veteran netminder.

“Didn’t love his first game, but I thought up until the fourth one (goal-against on Wednesday), I don’t look at him for any of the first three,” Maurice said after Game 2.

Bobrovsky allowed five goals in Monday’s Game 1 loss and followed with four more on 20 shots in Wednesday’s 4-3 defeat.

Despite the numbers, Maurice credited the difficulty of the chances Toronto generated.

“We didn’t give up a tremendous lot, but the danger (chances) on the rush is significant,” Maurice said. “Goalie’s going to be fine.”

Bobrovsky, a two-time Vezina Trophy winner, finished the regular season strong, posting a .906 save percentage.

In the playoffs, however, he’s down to a .876 save percentage through seven games between the first and second rounds.

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky (72) shakes water off his head during a stoppage of play in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.David Kirouac-Imagn Images

In Game 2, goals by Max Pacioretty, William Nylander, Max Domi, and Mitch Marner proved too many for Florida to overcome.

Toronto’s Mitch Marner scored the game-winning goal just 17 seconds after Florida tied the score in the third period. Meanwhile, Bobrovsky has yet to steal a game for the Panthers this round.

“We didn’t love our Game 1, but we liked our game here tonight,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said. “We came out on the road and lost two games, but we get to go back home now.”

Game 3 is set for Friday in Sunrise, where Florida must win to avoid falling into a 3-0 deficit. Puck drop is scheduled at 7 p.m. ET.

Panthers Coach’s ‘Fine’ Goalie Message Before Game 3 vs. Maple Leafs

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