In the moment, kept the game tied. By nightB次元官网网址檚 end, it became a game-saver since Florida went on to prevail in overtime.

And the way Panthers coach Paul Maurice sees it, the impact from on Tuesday night will only continue B次元官网网址� with a reach beyond these NHL playoffs and this series between Florida and the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It won a game. It may grow the game, too.

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檒l be a number of kids in the driveway this weekend and theyB次元官网网址檒l all want to play goal for the first time,B次元官网网址� Maurice said. B次元官网网址淔or me, thatB次元官网网址檚 how it happens. They see something kind of magical and have to go and try it, right? You get five kids and thereB次元官网网址檒l be a street hockey game going somewhere, everybodyB次元官网网址檚 going to want to be Bobrovsky, theyB次元官网网址檒l be flipping around the net, trying to do the spin-o-rama kick saves.B次元官网网址�

Memo to those kids: Good luck.

The hyperbole kept coming Wednesday: some were calling it, a play on BobrovskyB次元官网网址檚 last name and obvious nickname B次元官网网址� Bob. Save of the playoffs, others said. Save of the year, save of all-time, you get the idea. It was that good, so good that even the Lightning had to tip their collective caps out of respect.

B次元官网网址淗ell of a save,B次元官网网址� Lightning captain Steven Stamkos said.

There have been something like 4 million saves in NHL history, and Bobrovsky is responsible for 20,681 of them. ThereB次元官网网址檚 no definitive ranking of them all, of course, but in this moment anyway, BobrovskyB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渉ow-did-he-do-that?B次元官网网址� play stands alone.

B次元官网网址淚 think itB次元官网网址檚 the best save IB次元官网网址檝e ever seen in my life,B次元官网网址� FloridaB次元官网网址檚 Vladimir Tarasenko said Wednesday. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 amazing. I donB次元官网网址檛 know what else to say.B次元官网网址�

Even retired football star took notice. B次元官网网址淲hat a damn save,B次元官网网址� he wrote on social media.

Bobrovsky made the save like this: He was facing left, looking at Stamkos, who had the puck relatively close to the net. Stamkos saw tons of clear ice on the other side of the slot and sent the puck into unoccupied space, where Lightning defenseman Matt Dumba tapped a backhander from maybe 10 feet away toward what was a wide-open net.

Key word: Was. Bobrovsky B次元官网网址� out of B次元官网网址渄esperation,B次元官网网址� heB次元官网网址檇 say later B次元官网网址� dove backward across the goal mouth, reached out blindly with his left wrist and somehow got his glove side in the way of DumbaB次元官网网址檚 shot to keep the game tied at 2-2. It wound up being a game-saver; the Panthers got a goal from for a

B次元官网网址淭hatB次元官网网址檚 a lifetime of working your (butt) off, the ability to know where your body is so that mentally you wouldnB次元官网网址檛 quit on that play, that you would think you still have a chance to stop that puck,B次元官网网址� Maurice said.

Panthers forward Anton Lundell was far more succinct: B次元官网网址淧retty sick,B次元官网网址� he said.

That was B次元官网网址渟ickB次元官网网址� in the good sense. The Lightning probably just felt sick in the conventional sense B次元官网网址� especially since their goalie, Andrei Vasilevskiy, was basically a brick wall for most of the evening as well. Vasilevskiy didnB次元官网网址檛 have the flying, flailing save like Bobrovsky, but he stoned FloridaB次元官网网址檚 offense for the entirety of the second and third periods to give the Lightning a chance.

Florida leads the series 2-0; Game 3 is in Tampa on Thursday.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been unbelievable goaltending. I think thatB次元官网网址檚 been the highlight of the entire series, back and forth,B次元官网网址� Lightning forward Brandon Hagel said Wednesday. B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檝e obviously got Vasi; as we say, the best goaltender in the league, and theyB次元官网网址檝e got a really good goaltender over there. ItB次元官网网址檚 going to be tough to get pucks by him and itB次元官网网址檚 going to be tough to get pucks by our goalie as well. Hopefully we can just maybe try to get one more past them than they do us.B次元官网网址�

ItB次元官网网址檚 rare that teams will praise the other side during a series; thatB次元官网网址檚 often reserved for when itB次元官网网址檚 over and the traditional handshakes have happened. But the Lightning lauded Bobrovsky after what he did Tuesday, and in turn, the Panthers raved about Vasilevskiy as well.

B次元官网网址淏oth goalies were so good in that game,B次元官网网址� Maurice said. B次元官网网址淎nd the ones that didnB次元官网网址檛 look like much might be the best saves, given the amount of work that you had to be tactically right on time when you got there. Some outstanding saves.B次元官网网址�

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