“After you see it up close, you realize there’s a reason for it,” said forward Brad Marchand, who spent years trying to solve Bobrovsky as an opponent. “He competes so hard every day. He’s probably the most dedicated player that I’ve ever played with.

Just two weeks ago, there were questions swirling around the play of Sergei Bobrovsky in these playoffs for the Florida Panthers. Perhaps not by his teammates or coaches, but by those on the outside looking in.

Clamping down on defense and erupting on offense in the third period, the Panthers pulled away for a 6-2 win over the Carolina Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Final. The win gave Florida a 3-0 series lead and a chance to clinch a second straight Stanley Cup Final appearance on home ice.

The Panthers, who are on the brink of making the Stanley Cup Final, look to have pushed the Hurricanes to a breaking point.

Sergei Bobrovsky gave up five goals in Game 1 against Toronto. Gave up four more in Game 2. Gave up four again in Game 3. Those numbers aren’t great.

The most notable of them came when Andrei Svechnikov, after Bobrovsky stopped one of his shots, crashed the net, looked at Bobrovsky, skated through the crease and hit Bobrovsky directly in the head with his left hip.

Florida Panthers goalie Sergei Bobrovsky downplayed a brutal hit to the head he took in Game 1 against the Carolina Hurricanes.

Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky improved to 8-4 for these playoffs with Sunday's 6-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Bobrovsky, who had allowed only three goals over the previous three games,