Bobrovsky on verge of tying Flyers' rookie record

UNIONDALE, N.Y. -- An undrafted free agent signing is on the verge of making history with the Philadelphia Flyers.

With a 31-save performance in Saturday night's 2-1 victory against the New York Islanders at Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky has won six consecutive games and is one shy of tying the franchise's rookie mark set by Pelle Lindbergh set during the 1982-83 season.
 
Bobrovsky, who won the Flyers' starting job after Michael Leighton went down with a back injury, has been nothing short of sensational during his brief tenure with the defending Eastern Conference champions. Saturday's win was his eighth in 10 appearances as he lowered his goals-against average to 2.11.
 
Not bad for a 22-year-old kid not many people had heard of less than two months ago.
 
"It's not my goal to keep the stats," Bobrovsky said through an interpreter after beating the Islanders for the second time in a week. "My goal is just to do my best in every game and for our team to win. Whatever happens, happens."
 
As sharp as he was on Saturday night, Bobrovsky had some help in the first period. Matt Carle was able to block what appeared to be a sure goal for Matt Moulson, and Andrej Meszaros swatted away John Tavares' shot that squeaked through Bobrovsky's pads and was rolling toward the goal line.
 
"They did a great job of blocking," Bobrovsky said. "Everything's intertwined. If they make a mistake, I'm there to support them. If I can't make a save, they're there for me.
 
"It worked for us. It was all good."
 
Bobrovsky was on top of his game during the second period, which the Islanders dominated as they outshot the Flyers 14-5. But Moulson's power-play tally at 7:31 was the lone blemish for the rookie goaltender who continues to turn heads on a nightly basis.
 
"I can't say that it matters what period," Bobrovsky said. "We're all a team. My goal is just to stop as many pucks as possible."
 
Bobrovsky's done just that for the Flyers, who have built themselves a four-point lead atop the Atlantic Division at 9-4-1. Bobrovsky and his teammates left Nassau Coliseum on Saturday night and headed for Washington, where they'll face the Capitals on Sunday at 5 p.m. ET.
 
Flyers coach Peter Laviolette didn't say after Saturday's win whether the quick turnaround will affect Bobrovsky's chances of playing against the Caps, but it's hard to imagine the Russian rookie won't be between the pipes for a chance to tie Lindbergh's long-standing franchise record.
 
"Bob's been steady," Flyers coach Peter Laviolette said. "There's no question we were off a little bit and our goaltender was on. That's what good goaltending does -- it gives you an opportunity to win when you're not at your best. They hang on and they hold the fort. You get your legs under you and you can come back. When there are nights like that that happen, it's nice to see him stand tall for us for a while and let the guys dig deep, which they did."
 
Follow Brian Compton on Twitter: @BComptonNHL