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X-Factor: Who will have a huge impact on Florida Panthers vs Vegas Golden Knights Game 5?
Game 5 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights will take place on Tuesday from Sin City. Vegas holds a 3-1 series lead and sits just one win shy of its first Stanley Cup.
The series has been mostly dominated by the Vegas Golden Knights. In four games, Vegas has outscored Florida 17-9, including two lopsided victories. In Game 3, the Panthers found a way to keep Vegas to only two goals, winning in overtime. In Game 4, their three-goal comeback fell just short.
If the Florida Panthers have any chance of extending this series, one player will need to be the ultimate X-Factor. And that player, coming as no surprise, is goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky.
Sergei Bobrovsky holds the Florida Panthers season on his shoulders
The Florida Panthers would not be in the Stanley Cup Final without Sergei Bobrovsky. The veteran netminder took over during the first round and helped the Panthers overcome a 3-1 series deficit to upset the Boston Bruins. Now, Florida sits in a similar spot and needs their goaltender to shine again.
Bobrovsky was nearly unbeatable in the second and third rounds against the Toronto Maple Leafs and Carolina Hurricanes. In 9 games, 'Bob' went 8-1, allowing only 16 goals (1.77 per game) in the process. But early in the Final, Bobrovsky, along with the rest of the Florida Panthers, struggled.
In games 1 and 2, the 34-year-old allowed eight goals on 46 shots (.826 save percentage). Bobrovsky was pulled in the second period of Game 2. But since then, he has responded.
In the last two games of the series, Bobrovsky has stopped over 91% of shots faced, including 25 of 27 in the Game 3 win for Florida. He was excellent, and his team took home their only win of the series. This is not a coincidence.
On Saturday, Bobrovsky allowed three goals in the first half of the hockey game. But after the Golden Knights took a 3-0 lead, he then slammed the door and allowed his team to nearly complete an epic comeback.
To put it simply, the Florida Panthers will go where Sergei Bobrovsky takes them. If the veteran netminder can steal a few from Vegas, the Cats have a chance to take the series back home to Sunrise.
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