“We had a good relationship”: Sergei Bobrovsky goes against his understudy Anthony Stolarz at Florida Panthers vs Toronto Maple Leafs Round 2 Game 1

A lot of team shuffles happen over an NHL season. But one team shuffle stood apart. That of a goaltender against his understudy. First things first, what’s an understudy goaltender in NHL terms? A replacement for the starting goaltender. Like, we have a backup quarterback for a starting quarterback in the NFL, a reserve player in the NBA, and a bench player in the MLB - we have an understudy in the NHL. Anyway, enough with the examples.

Coming to the goaltender foes - Anthony Stolarz , a former understudy for Sergei Bobrovsky , will face off against Bobrovsky in Game 1 of Round 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs ! Anthony Stolarz is a 31-year-old American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Toronto Maple Leafs , and Sergei Bobrovsky is a 36-year-old Russian professional ice hockey goaltender for the Florida Panthers .

As entertaining as an NFL game between a QB and his backup QB appears, Game 1 of Round 2 between a goaltender and his understudy is sure to steal your sentiments! Can you wait till Monday? For now, let’s find out what Sergei Bobrovsky has to say!

What a goaltending matchup up #LeafsForever vs #TimeToHunt will provide

Sergei Bobrovsky vs Anthony Stolarz

Stolarz backed up Bobrovsky en route to a Stanley Cup last season

— Dave McCarthy (@DaveAMcCarthy) May 2, 2025

Sergei Bobrovsky admits that his former understudy Anthony Stolarz is going to be a good challenge for him
Sergei Bobrovsky talked about facing Anthony Stolarz in Game 1 of Round 2 with NHL.com, “We had a good relationship. It was a good partnership last year. But this series is going to be good and it’s going to be fun. He’s a good goalie and going to be a good challenge for us.”

Sergei Bobrovsky on facing former teammate, Anthony Stolarz-

“You know, in our business, it happens often. You play with the guys and you play against them. Like, look at Marchy (Brad Marchand), you would never think…and all of a sudden, we compete together now for our dream.” pic.twitter.com/EW4PiSILsN

— Katie Engleson (@KatieEngleson) May 2, 2025

Talking about the unpredictability of the trade wars in the NHL, Sergei Bobrovsky said, “In our business, it happens often. You play with guys, and then you play against them. Like, look at ( Brad Marchand ) - you never thought you were going to play on the same team with them, and all of a sudden, we compete together now, fighting for our dreams. We are going to compete, and it’s going to be a good challenge again.”

Bobrovsky set to go up against familiar face in Stolarz in 2nd Round ⤵️https://t.co/JeMvqalHwm

— NHL.com (@NHLdotcom) May 3, 2025

Sergei Bobrovsky talks about previous partnerships in his life, “I have been lucky to have great guys, great partners with me. All of them are great guys, and I learned from them as well. So, it’s a very productive relationship, you know? And I’m always very supportive. I try to help because, at the end of the day, we are trying to reach one goal together.”



Also Read: “History is Written by the Victors”: Tampa Bay Lightning GM Julien BriseBois maintains the team’s morale despite their loss in the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs | NHL News - The Times of India