Bobrovsky 10th in all-time wins with victory over Maple Leafs
The Florida Panthers' 3-2 showing over the Toronto Maple Leafs was a major one for Sergei Bobrovsky, as the goalie took sole possession of 10th place on the NHL's all-time wins list with his 424th career victory.
Bobrovsky turned aside 23 of 25 shots during Thursday's contest to overtake Tony Esposito in the league's record books.
Here's how the all-time list looks now:
| Rank | Goalie | Wins | GP |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Martin Brodeur | 691 | 1266 |
| 2 | Marc-Andre Fleury | 573 | 1047 |
| 3 | Patrick Roy | 551 | 1029 |
| 4 | Roberto Luongo | 489 | 1044 |
| 5 | Ed Belfour | 484 | 963 |
| 6 | Henrik Lundqvist | 459 | 887 |
| 7 | Curtis Joseph | 454 | 943 |
| 8 | Terry Sawchuk | 445 | 971 |
| 9 | Jacques Plante | 437 | 837 |
| 10 | Sergei Bobrovsky | 424 | 744 |
Bobrovsky became the fastest netminder to rack up 400 wins in October. He required 707 contests to hit the milestone, accomplishing the feat in 20 fewer games than New York Rangers legend and previous record holder Henrik Lundqvist.
The 36-year-old veteran is in the midst of his 15th NHL season and owns a .907 save percentage, 2.49 goals against average, and 28-14-2 record in 44 outings so far this campaign.
A two-time Vezina Trophy winner, Bobrovsky was a finalist for the award last season after registering a .915 clip in 58 starts while tying for the league lead with six shutouts.
The Russian won 42 contests as a member of the Philadelphia Flyers, 213 games with the Columbus Blue Jackets over seven seasons, and has 169 victories with the Panthers.
Bobrovsky joined Florida as an unrestricted free agent in 2019. He's under contract for one more season after this one, while his $10-million cap hit is the highest among all active goaltenders this campaign.
Thursday's victory was significant for the Panthers, as they now hold a four-point cushion over the Maple Leafs for first place in the Atlantic Division, though Toronto has played one less game.
Florida center Sam Bennett led the way with a pair of power-play goals. Maple Leafs forward Max Domi brought his team within one goal in the third period, but Bobrovsky shut the door the rest of the way.
"At 3-1, he's not going to like the 3-2 goal," Panthers coach Paul Maurice said of the goalie's performance, per NHL.com's Jameson Olive. "Then you're thinking you're going to have a hard time beating him now because now he's angry in the net. He just totally fits our team. He's so calm in that net."
Next up for the Panthers is a clash with the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday at 7 p.m. ET.