Sergei Bobrovsky is on a roll and it couldn't have come at a better time for the Blue Jackets.
With a 33-save performance at home against the New Jersey Devils Tuesday night, Bobrovsky notched his third-straight shutout of the season – coming on a 2-0 Blue Jackets victory – his sixth on the year.
The streak ties Steve Mason's franchise record and the six on the season are a career-high for the goalie. Over those three games, Bobrovsky has stopped 91 shots.
Bobrovsky's run is coming at the right time for the Blue Jackets, who are 5–1–1 since their bye week, and 7–2–1 in their last 10. The club currently sits tied for second in the NHL with 90 points, five behind the Washington Capitals, who also lead the Metropolitan Division.
To the always selfless Bobrovsky, the credit goes to his teammates.
“Well, obviously it's great. It's huge,” the goalie said about his shutout streak. “But I will say my teammates helped me unbelievably. They made blocked shots again. They were great again. They had tight coverage in our zone, so thanks to them for that success.”
His head coach recognizes just how big his goalie has been.
“We didn't have a lot of chances, but Bob made some key saves at key times for us,” John Tortorella said following the game.
“The thing with Bob that is impressive – I don't think we've given up a lot of chances during games – but there have been some really good chances where we've had breakdowns and he's made keys saves. The timing of his saves has been really important for us.”
Bobrovsky has 35 wins and a .931 save percentage on the season, both good enough second-best in the NHL. His 2.05 goals against average and six shutouts put him in the top three in those categories. In other words, firmly in the midst of the Vezina conversation.
With the Blue Jackets pushing for playoff position, his coach and teammates will need more of the same.
