MIAMI — It's Sergei Bobrovsky's world and we're just living in it.
The Florida Panthers goaltender is on an unbelievable run, culminating - for the moment - with a 32-save shutout win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final.
It was the first playoff shutout of Bobrovsky's career, and it couldn't have come at a better time as the Panthers mustered only one goal in the win.
Armando Velez of Locked on Panthers credits a full-team effort for the Panthers, especially in the final 40 minutes of the game wherein Carolina outshot Florida 25-7, but with only two shots on goal over the final 5:50, including zero in the final 3:10.
"My teammates did a great job," Bobrovsky said after the game, per NHL.com. "All those little details, blocked shots, got good sticks and the gaps and everything that goes to small details. So, it's definitely a good result for us, and it's a big team effort."
Still, there's no denying Bobrovsky has been invaluable for the Panthers during the playoffs, especially in the second round against Toronto and through the first three games of a series against Carolina.
In eight starts against those two high-powered opponents, Bobrovsky has a record of 7-1 with a save percentage of .958.
Pretty crazy when you consider he began the postseason on the bench in favor of Alex Lyon who wasn't particularly great in the opening round against the Boston Bruins. Sure he went 3-1 against the Presidents' Trophy winners, but allowed 17 goals on 156 shots - good for a save percentage of only .891.
If he keeps playing as he has in May, and if the Panthers do indeed go on to win the Stanley Cup, Bobrovsky will likely add a Conn Smythe Trophy to an awards shelf that already features two Vezina Trophy wins.