Forsberg posts 40-save shutout in 3-0 Sens win over Panthers

The Sens are making a bit of a scary habit of getting badly outshot but goalieing their way to victory. Tonight it was Anton Forsberg's turn to shine, making 40 saves for his third shutout of the season. Drake Batherson and Jake Sanderson had the goals for Ottawa, ​while Matthew Highmore sealed it with an empty-net goal in a 3-0 victory. The Sens only mustered 21 shots on Sergey Bobrovsky, but that's enough when your goalie's perfect. The Sens now sit at 88 points, their highest total since 2017.

The first period opened showing that Florida, even beleaguered by injuries to Anton Barkov and Matthew Tkachuk (and Aaron Ekblad's suspension), is still a very good team. They raced out to a lead in shots, drew the game's first powerplay, and generally controlled play. That meant it felt extra sweet to see Ottawa open the scoring. Ridly Greig and Shane Pinto continued their excellent chemistry of late. Greig didn't get a point, but his forecheck gave Pinto the puck, who passed to Jake Sanderson, who then buried it for his third goal in three games.

The Sens then got a powerplay of their own, and scored on it. Drake Batherson got pretty unlucky not tucking the puck in on an empty net, but then got redemption a few seconds later tipping in Dylan Cozens' shot.

Florida would fight for a goal of their own, but Anton Forsberg was very good, showing that he's still a reliable backup option. He made several key saves, including one late when Nikolas Matinpalo took a slashing penalty on AJ Greer but he still got a big shot on goal. Greer would tumble into the boards and stay down, but he stayed in the game. The Panthers took exception, but I don't think Matinpalo has a penchant for being dirty, and after watching Greer take a couple borderline-charging runs at Matinpalo earlier in the period, I couldn't help but think he got what he deserved.

The second period saw the Panthers start on that powerplay, but Matthew Highmore getting tripped before he could break out on a shorthanded breakaway nullified that chance. Overall in the second, the Panthers dominated, to the point that the dreaded "X:XX without a shot" clock showed up for the Sens, nearly hitting 9 minutes. Florida got a couple powerplays but couldn't score, thanks in large part to Forsberg. This was arguably his biggest save of the period.

Carter Verhaeghe threw a dirty hit on Artem Zub in the second, shoving him into the boards from a stride out. Thankfully Zub tucked his head in and went shoulder-first into the boards; probably lucky for Verhaeghe too, who could've faced a 5 minute major if there'd been a head injury. Unsurprisingly, the Sens didn't score on the 2-minute powerplay, and Florida kept looking like the better team. Evan Rodrigues finally got one past Forsberg late in the period, but it was played with a high stick, so it was waved off immediately, and video review confirmed it. The Sens entered the third with a 2-0 lead despite being behind 25-12 in shots.

The third was more of the same: Florida being better than the Sens except for one key Senator, Anton Forsberg. Ottawa's chances were limited to rush breakouts, and Angus Crookshank actually came close to scoring but Sergey Bobrovsky got just enough of it. The Sens looked content to turtle to run the clock down. Greig and Niko Mikkola first got into a scuffle after an icing, then went ​at each other when Mikkola put the puck into the Sens net after a whistle, so they got offsetting minors and the teams played 4-on-4. The Sens used most of that 4-on-4 to play puck possession, keeping Florida from getting chances. The Panthers finally pulled the goalie with 3 minutes left, but some solid defence set up Highmore to race in past some tired Florida defenders and get Ottawa's first empty-net goal in what feels like a decade. It was nice to see the defensive specialist get rewarded with his second of the season.

Though the game was basically over, Uvis Balanskis filled his diaper and took a run at Crookshank late in the third, then Greer and Jonah Gadjovich went at Tim Stützle on that powerplay, so Ottawa got a 5-on-3 with a minute left. Green put Kleven and Jensen out for the PP presumably to protect his star defencemen. Ottawa didn't score, but nobody cared. Another big win, and the playoffs are that much closer. Columbus comes to town tomorrow for another important one.

Game Thoughts:

• Matthew Highmore doesn't get a lot of love, so I'd like to shout out his effort, especially on the PK. I think his emergence as a versatile, useful fourth liner encouraged Steve Staios to trade Zack Ostapchuk, who held that role to start the season but never quite blossomed offensively or defensively. It makes me wonder of Adam Gaudette is the healthy scratch when Nick Cousins is back (and Brady Tkachuk). Funny enough, I'd actually written this before he got the empty-netter.
• A big thing I've noticed about this year's Sens is how much better they are at breakouts. They often have a forward hang back to offer an extra pass, and the D-to-D pass happens way more than it used to. I have no stats, but I would guess that passing back instead of dumping it out saves the Sens 5 or 6 losses of possession a night.
• As NKB pointed out this morning, Jake Sanderson has got even better this year. He's always been effective defensively and in his speed. I didn't love him quarterbacking the powerplay, but he's really grown in that role. He's become maybe Ottawa's biggest threat on the PP, especially with Tkachuk hurt. Also, he only turns 23 this summer, so he likely has a higher peak to hit.
• I enjoy watching how Travis Green juggles the lines depending on the game situation. When the Sens are losing, he pairs Chabot and Sanderson for offensive-zone draws from 10 minutes left in the third. When protecting a lead like today, he moves Amadio and Greig up the lineup. He also put out Gaudette and Crookshank with David Perron. He still tries to keep all the guys playing, but tries to put out groups that will be a little more boring, sacrificing offence to limit offence against. It's a deliberate strategy, which is a nice change from the previous regime.
• It's hard to say enough about Anton Forsberg. I can't imagine trying to keep your focus when going several games without playing, but he was dialed in today. I doubt he'll be back in Ottawa next year, but I think he's earned another ​​backup contract in the NHL with his play this season.

Game Flow: