The Stanley Cup final goalie matchup: Bobrovsky and Skinner, matching wits once again

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) — The only times that Sergei Bobrovsky spent any time really reflecting on winning the Stanley Cup were the obvious moments. The on-ice celebration that night. The day of the parade. Things like that.

Otherwise, he did what he always does. He looked at what was next.

It is a simple approach and it works best for the Florida goaltender, who is about to play in the Stanley Cup Final for a third consecutive season. At 36 and showing absolutely no sign of slowing down, Bobrovsky’s save percentage in these playoffs is higher than what he posted a year ago on the way to the title, while his goals-against average is lower.

And in this title series, he’ll likely be matching goalie wits with Stuart Skinner again — the Edmonton netminder who was in goal for last year’s Stanley Cup Final, when Florida topped the Oilers in a seven-game classic. Game 1 is in Edmonton on Wednesday night.

“You enjoy the moment and savour the moment,” Bobrovsky said. “You’re not trying to cut yourself off thinking about what’s ahead or what’s happened in the past. So, you’re just trying to take advantage of the opportunity again. It’s a great opportunity. There’s only two teams left, and we’re one of them and we have an opportunity to win it all. It’s an exciting time, and I want to enjoy every bit of it.”

Bobrovsky has been the only goalie for Florida in these playoffs. For Edmonton, it was a different story. Skinner had the starter job going into the post-season, then lost it to Calvin Pickard, then got it back. The Oilers needed 12 wins to get to the final, obviously: Skinner got six of those wins, Pickard got the other six.

But Skinner, before getting replaced in the playoffs, just didn’t have the numbers he has now. He had a 3.39 GAA and an .872 save percentage in his first six playoff appearances; he had a 1.25 GAA and a .952 save percentage in the last four appearances, all of them wins over Dallas in the West final. He seemed more confident; Skinner said that wasn’t really the case.

“I felt confident before,” Skinner said. “That’s the life of being a goaltender.”

That said, Skinner did acknowledge that there was a different feel to those games against Dallas.

“It’s ebbs and flows,” Skinner said. “You can feel it right away. Sometimes you don’t feel it right away. I mean, I wish I felt it all the time.”

Bobrovsky has almost made a career out of trying to avoid the ebbs and flows. The Panthers have put complete trust in him and what he needs to do to be ready. Panthers coach Paul Maurice often says — and he isn’t kidding — that he doesn’t coach Bobrovsky. Robb Tallas is Florida’s goaltender coach, he works with Bobrovsky, and Maurice’s job is to say hello and little else.

Bobrovsky rewards that trust.

“I’ve said so many times, I’m blessed with the team that I have,” Bobrovsky said. “The guys, the management, the coaches. The coaches allow me to do my things, which is important, especially at my age. To have the room to do the things that I need and I believe, I appreciate everything — where I am, who’s around me. It’s a blessing and I appreciate it.”

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AP NHL playoffs: https://apnews.com/hub/stanley-cup and https://apnews.com/hub/nhl