The Florida Panthers continue their winning ways into the month of October. In their first season as defending Stanley Cup champions, they currently sit at the top of the Atlantic Division with a record of 6-3-1 with 13 points. They trail the Winnipeg Jets by three points for the best in the league.
On Thursday, Oct. 24, the Panthers defeated the New York Rangers by a score of 3-1 in their first meeting since the Eastern Conference Final. This would mark goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky’s 400th career win. Not only did he become the 14th goaltender in history to win 400-plus games, he became the fastest to accomplish the feat by doing it in 707 games played, beating out former New York Rangers goaltender Henrik Lundqvist at 727 games.
To do something like that with so many of the great netminders that this game has had, I’m really happy that he gets that recognition while he’s at the peak of his game.
Florida Panthers head coach Paul Maurice on Sergei Bobrovsky’s 400th career win
Because of that, and many more of his accolades over his career, Bobrovsky should be a shoo-in for the Hall of Fame once he hangs up his skates and calls it a career.
Bobrovksy’s Resume
Bobrovsky has a massive resume that should have him as a first-ballot Hall of Famer upon retiring. He came into the league as an undrafted free agent acquired by the Philadelphia Flyers. After two seasons, he was sent to the Columbus Blue Jackets, where he became a superstar. In his first season as a Blue Jacket, he won the Vezina Trophy. He became the first in franchise history to have two consecutive 30-win seasons in 2013-14 and 2014-15. In the 2016-17 season, he won the Vezina Trophy again and set the franchise record for most wins by a goalie with 41.
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In 2019, he was a part of one of the biggest upsets in NHL history as he helped the Blue Jackets sweep the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round, giving the team their first playoff series win ever. The Lightning had the best record in NHL history that season with a record of 62-16-4 and a whopping 128 points.
After his time in Columbus, he signed a new deal with the Panthers. As the starter, he’s taken the Panthers to the postseason in all but one year (2019-20 when they lost in the qualifying round). In the 2022-23 season, his incredible playoff run led him to an Eastern Conference championship. The following season, he was nominated for his third Vezina Trophy but would lose it to Jets goaltender, Connor Hellebuyck. That same season, his excellence between the pipes helped him capture his first career Stanley Cup.
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With 401 wins, he has more wins than any other Russian goaltender in NHL history. The best part is that he’s still got more to add to his long resume.
Bobrovsky Still Has Work to Do
The 36-year-old Russian netminder still has a lot to accomplish. This season, he has a chance to win back-to-back Stanley Cups for his team. Even then, he’s still done a ton to help his team.
He’s the backbone of our team. What he’s done, not many people have. I don’t know if anyone is as fast as he is. What an incredible goalie.
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk on Sergei Bobrovsky
If Bobrovsky continues to be a rock in net, the dreams of a repeat will not be farfetched. If the Panthers accomplish the task, they will be the first to do it since the Tampa Bay Lightning in the 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons.
