Bright: Start Bobrovsky In Winter Classic
It was an important rivalry game against good competition in a pressurized environment.
And the Flyers goaltender stood tall to prop up his team and also preserve the win.
However, the rarity wasn’t provided by franchise selection and HBO star Ilya Bryzgalov. It was the other Russian, Sergei Bobrovsky, who made 24 saves in Thursday night’s 4-2 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Consol Energy Center.
With Bobrovsky’s confident outing, his second in a row after earning the 4-1 win in Dallas, the young goalie also handed coach Peter Laviolette some serious roster questions for the highly anticipated Winter Classic game against the New York Rangers on Monday at Citizens Bank Park.
If the Flyers wanted the best chance to win outdoors in front of the nation, they’d buck expectation and select Bobrovsky, the current steadier hand, as their choice between the pipes.
Outside of a defensive giveaway turned scramble goal just 44 seconds into the game and a late game glove-side slapshot from Tyler Kennedy, the second-year ‘tender shut the door by limiting second chances and playing his angles well. He kept the game close enough to allow the Flyers’ potent offense to unleash its attack and play from ahead.
It wasn’t a Pekke Rinne or Henrik Lundqvist-type start, where he carries a lackluster defensive team to victory. Bobrovsky simply provided the glue that held his club together under pressure. As the Penguins attacked in the second period with the game tied at one, Bobrovsky made game-preserving saves, including a crucial one with less than eight minutes left where Evgeni Malkin had an open lane to the net.
In the third, he battled Malkin even more, stopping the Penguins’ leading scorer on a late power play with less than five minutes to play. Bobrovsky made the saves he needed to in crucial situations.
Bobrovsky wasn’t great because he didn’t need to be great. He needed to be solid and steady and that’s exactly what he was and why he earned the win. The backup saw the puck well, remained composed and provided the foundation to victory — something the Flyers have lacked from their other goaltender.
With quality wins in his last three starts and a well-played 2-0 loss to the Rangers mixed in, if the Flyers want their best foot forward on Monday, they have to throw the questions aside and look in Bobrovsky’s direction.
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