Toronto Maple Leafs captain Auston Matthews spoke to reporters on Saturday night after another questionable performance from Sergei Bobrovsky.
The Maple Leafs lost another game on Saturday night, this time to the New York Islanders by a score of 4-1, in what was a truly pitiful performance from the entire roster.
Sergei Bobrovsky was the starter, and he allowed three goals on just 19 shots, giving him a save percentage of .842. Not acceptable for a guy making $7 million per season.
However, captain Auston Matthews was diplomatic in the face of this performance. He told reporters that Bobrovsky is not the problem, and that the team hung him out to dry.
He's playing great. I think we really left him out to dry here in his last couple starts and that's on us. So we've got to be better. He's doing his job.
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While this is certainly a nice sentiment from Matthews, it cannot be ignored that the goaltending hasn't been helping the Leafs' chances early on in the season.
Bobrovsky has a save percentage of .891, a record of 1-3-2, and a goals-against average of 3.29. The kind of numbers that certainly raise some eyebrows.
What is the problem with Bobrovsky?
Some may point to age as a factor in all of this. At 38 years old, you expect a decline from a goaltender. However, Bob is still a two-time Stanley Cup champion, and the expectations were a lot higher.
Ultimately, the defense has not been great. It's why the Leafs are currently in the midst of pursuing defenseman like Alexander Nikishin and Simon Edvinsson. Guys like Morgan Rielly and Troy Stecher simply have not been good enough.
Injuries to Chris Tanev have also made things more strenuous for the back end. This all contributes to a more difficult situation for Bobrovsky to navigate.
Regardless, a goalie of his caliber needs to give the team a save once in a while, and he's not doing that. The Leafs need him to steal games instead of simply playing well enough to win.
It's a key distinction, and one that simply isn't being satisfied in the early going.
Do you believe Auston Matthews is right about Sergei Bobrovsky?
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