Bobrovsky stays hot for Panthers in Game 1 of Eastern 2nd Round

TORONTO -- Sergei Bobrovsky is getting hot at the right time for the Florida Panthers.

Bobrovsky won his fourth straight start Tuesday, making 34 saves in a 4-2 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Second Round at Scotiabank Arena. He did not win four consecutive starts during the regular season.

"The back half of that game, he was brilliant, and we required him to be," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said.

It was not just the quantity of saves, but when Bobrovsky made them that was crucial for Florida. At 18:48 of the third period, he stopped William Nylander with his outstretched left pad, getting a toe on what seemed like a tap-in on a pass from Michael Bunting to protect the two-goal lead.

"Yeah, I just got lucky," Bobrovsky said. "I threw my pad out, he made a solid, good shot and it hit my toe, so it was just lucky."

That was one of nine saves in the final 2:30 of the third while the Maple Leafs made a push to tie the game with goalie Ilya Samsonov pulled in favor of a sixth attacker.

"There's some good things, we had some looks," Toronto defenseman Luke Schenn said. "Bobrovsky played pretty well tonight. In saying that, we definitely had our share of chances, but we also made some mistakes."

Sam Bennett, who had a goal and an assist for the Panthers, said Bobrovsky has been a difference-maker since taking over for Alex Lyon during the first round against the Boston Bruins. After a 6-2 loss in Game 4, Bobrovsky made 44 saves in a 4-3 overtime win in Game 5, 29 saves in a 7-5 victory in Game 6 and 33 saves in a 4-3 win in Game 7.

"He was unbelievable (against the Maple Leafs)," Bennett said. "He's been great every game that he came in (since the Bruins series). It's awesome to see. That's what we need out of him, and he's stepped up."

RELATED: [Complete Maple Leafs vs. Panthers series coverage]

Bobrovsky, who was 24-20-3 with a 3.07 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage during the regular season, said he tries not to micro-analyze his game, especially when he is playing well.

"I don't think about that," Bobrovsky said. "I'm staying with the moment and I don't really think about where my game is. I'm enjoying playing playoff hockey, enjoying being part of this great group of guys and just fortunate to be here."

Without the play of Lyon though, Bobrovsky might not have had the chance to go on the run that he has, helping the Panthers overcome a 3-1 series deficit in the best-of-7 first round against the Bruins and go up 1-0 in the second round against the Maple Leafs. Lyon went 6-1-1 down the stretch in the regular season to help the Panthers clinch a playoff berth while Bobrovsky was out with an illness, and started the first three games against the Bruins, going 1-2.

But Maurice said he knew he would ultimately come back to Bobrovsky when it mattered most.

"Elimination games, Game 7s are about the players, not the coaches, and he in his career has proven to handle that pressure," Maurice said. "But he also needs it, he needed to go into that net for our franchise to be the deciding factor, and since then he's been fantastic."