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.

“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.

Goalie Sergei Bobrovsky was in top form as the Panthers rolled to a win over the Hurricanes in the first game of the Eastern Conference final.

Pyotr Kochetkov will start in net for the Hurricanes in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference final against the Florida Panthers.

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.

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.

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