The Ottawa Senators have had a reputation in recent seasons for their poor road record against Western teams (1-14-1 last season) and for their poor starts in games, often allowing goals on the first or second shot.
But there was none of that nonsense last night as the Senators blanked The Utah Hockey Club 4-0. Anton Forsberg made 31 saves for the sixth shutout of his NHL career.
In truth, the Senators did get off to their usual slow start, outshot by UHC 8-1 in the early going, but Forsberg made sure it didn’t cost them on the scoreboard. He held the fort until the offence finally got going.
And did it ever.
The Senators scored four times in the second half of the first period and that was all they would need for the victory. Utah pushed hard again in the second period, outshooting Ottawa 14-5, but thanks to Forsberg, they were never able to get that first goal to jumpstart some momentum.
For all the discussion and concerns over Linus Ullmark’s lingering injury, the Sens have now gone 3-1 in his absence. But even if Ullmark doesn’t miss another game all season, the Sens aren’t going anywhere if they don’t have a backup goalie who can deliver quality starts.
Last night, Forsberg’s start was of the highest quality, and that was not an easy shutout.
Drake Batherson, Claude Giroux, Ridly Greig, and Brady Tkachuk got the Ottawa goals. Tkachuk and Nick Jensen had two assists. Jensen isn’t known for his offence but has chipped in with four points so far, second-most among Sens defencemen.
With Ullmark missing the past four games, this was Forsberg’s fourth start in a row. He knows it’s the backup’s role to be ready for anything.
“I mean, obviously it’s always nice to play,” Forsberg told the media after the game. “It’s good to get into it and get going. I’ve just got to be ready for whatever. I might not play for a while, I might play four in a row. I just do what I can do to prepare and that’s what I’ve kind of been focused on the whole time.”
As for Ullmark, there’s no point in speculating any further on his return date from an injury that was initially identified as a maintenance day. Now it’s a four-game absence. He’s not going to return until he’s 101 percent ready and Forsberg’s showing in the past two games, along with the club’s 4-2 record, has helped remove any pressure.
The Senators now have a couple of nights off on this road trip, which continues on Friday with a game in Vegas, perfect for some early-season team bonding.
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