Sergei Bobrovsky uncharacteristically misses Florida Panthers practice

According to reports, Florida Panthers goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky will not be taking part in the last practice of the season on Sunday morning, the morning before game seven that will determine the 2023–2024 Stanley Cup champion. Instead, Spencer Knight and Anthony Stolarz will take the ice.

Even though today's practice was advertised as optional, Bobrovsky's absence—which has been widely publicized by the media—is extremely unusual, and given that he has helped the Panthers come within one victory of winning their first Stanley Cup in their twenty-one-year history, it may be cause for alarm.

Since hockey is a grind, missing a practice is not out of the ordinary. Given that many players are pushing themselves to play despite injuries at this point in the season when they would normally be resting, Bobrovsky's absence might just be the result of a maintenance day.

But if the Panthers are going to win, Bobrovsky—who has been the team's best player by a wide margin—is expected to be in the starting lineup on Monday night for game 7. You would assume that the Panthers would try their hardest to field a complete lineup for what is arguably the most significant game in the team's history to date, especially because it is in Sunrise and would be watched by home supporters.

Update:

Source: Blade of Steel
Florida Panthers Sergei Bobrovsky mysteriously absent from practice