Things didn't go as planned for Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky in his third-ever start with his new club. In Tuesday's game against the Carolina Hurricanes, the Russian netminder was pulled after surrendering four goals on just 14 shots in the first period.
After Jordan Staal made it 1-0 for the Canes less than seven minutes into the opening frame, Teuvo Teravainen scored at 11:04 of the first starting a frenzy where Carolina managed three goals in just over seven minutes, with Dougie Hamilton and Ryan Dzingel also getting on the board.
Backup Sam Montembeault took over for the Panthers between the pipes to start the second period with Florida down by four.
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In his previous two games, Bobrovsky went 1-1 with a 3.53 GAA and .891 save percentage. He's now surrendered 12 goals to start the season.
Bobrovsky with plenty of time to think about the situation he's willingly entered in to as a pair of wide open shots get thrown at him. pic.twitter.com/cbCEgsShUr
— Yahoo Sports NHL (@YahooSportsNHL) October 9, 2019
The 31-year-old was by far one of the league's biggest names available on the free-agent market this summer and his blockbuster seven-year, $70-million deal solidified that.
As arguably the Panthers' most integral piece of the puzzle moving forward, Bobrovsky faces hefty expectations as the team looks to return to the playoffs for the first time since 2016. While the start of the season hasn't indicated good things, it's still early and growing pains are only to be expected with a new club that also features a fairly new cast and head coach.