RECAP: Bobrovsky earns 350th career win with 33 saves against Sharks

SUNRISE, Fla. - Sergei Bobrovsky made 33 saves to help the Florida Panthers extend their winning streak to three games with a 4-1 win over the San Jose Sharks at FLA Live Arena on Thursday.
With the win, Bobrovsky became just the 25th goalie in NHL history to reach 350 career victories.
"It's definitely great," Bobrovsky said with a big smile. "I've been fortunate to play with great teammates and great coaches. It's definitely a big achievement, but at the moment you focus on one moment at a time. … You stay with the moment and prepare for the next moment."

Improving to 26-22-6 as their push toward the playoffs heats up, the Panthers currently trail the Pittsburgh Penguins (25-16-9) by one point for the second wild card spot and the Washington Capitals (27-20-6) by two points for the first wild card spot in the jam-packed Eastern Conference.
"We know we need to get on a bit of a run here," said Panthers forward Sam Reinhart, who scored a pair of goals against the Sharks. "We've got to take care of home ice, especially with all of the opportunities we have ahead of us. I think nights when you might not be your best you have to find ways to win. I think tonight we did a good job of that."
Breaking the ice for San Jose, Alexander Barabanov followed a shot from Erik Karlsson and backhanded the rebound past Bobrovsky to make it 1-0 at 5:49 of the first period.
After Givani Smith dropped the gloves with Jonah Gadjovich, the Panthers built off that brawl when Reinhart took a perfect pass from Marc Staal, skated into the center of the right circle and beat Kaapo Kahkonen with a short-side snap shot to make it 1-1 at 4:30 of the second period.
"I thought it settled the game for us, and then we could relax a little bit," Panthers head coach Paul Maurice said of Reinhart's tally. "Our overall game improved quite a bit from that point on."
Finding the back of the net a second time, Reinhart put the Panthers on top when he skated into the slot and re-directed an absurd pass from Eetu Luostarinen, who was falling to the ice as the puck left his stick, straight through Kahkonen's five-hole and into the net to make it 2-1 at 19:19.

With 4:52 left on the clock in regulation, the Panthers were put to the ultimate test when the Sharks gained a threatening four-minute power play after Timo Meier was hit with a high stick.
Shortly after the Panthers killed off the first half of the double-minor, the Sharks pulled Kahkonen to gain a 6-on-4 advantage. Coming up in the clutch, Luostarinen then swiped a puck in the neutral zone before setting up Eric Staal for a empty-net goal to make it 3-1 at 18:21 of the third period.
At 18:55, Staal added another empty-netter to lock in the 4-1 win.
"It was a good game," said Bobrovsky, who stopped 14 of 15 high-danger shots he faced. "They came out fast. I thought we defended very well. We made timely blocked shots, sticks were good. With the PK in the end, I thought the guys did a great job in front of me to clean the puck out and get two big goals. It's an exciting time to play hockey. We trust in each other, and we keep working."

CATS QUOTES

"It feels good that I know the coaches can trust me, put me on the first line, play those minutes and take those big draws." - Eetu Luostarinen on filling in for Aleksander Barkov as Florida's top-line center
"I think early on we were a little slow, watching a little too much. Bobby made some big saves in the first to keep us in it and allow us to get our feet under us. I liked our game from there on." - Sam Reinhart on turning things up a notch against San Jose
"He's not scrambling in the net, he's fighting in the net. He's getting across the post and making some huge saves. I thought he had more work tonight than he did against Tampa, and more critical work because the game was tight." - Paul Maurice on Sergei Bobrovsky's performance

CATS NOTES

• Sam Reinhart recorded his third multi-goal game of the season.
  - Ryan Lomberg posted a team-best 80 CF% at 5-on-5, per NaturalStatTrick.com.
  - Four different Panthers recorded multiple takeaways.
  - Radko Gudas dished out a team-high seven hits.
  - Florida went a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The Panthers (26-22-6) will close out their homestand with a matchup against the Colorado Avalanche (27-19-4) at FLA Live Arena on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET.