Senators Postgame: Forsberg Plays Great, Sens Can’t Score

As often is the case in back to back situations, the Ottawa Senators seemed to run out of gas as the game went along. They outshot the Pittsburgh Penguins 16-10 in the first period, but couldn’t solve Tristan Jarry. The second period was fairly even, but once again, no score. The third period is when the Penguins took over. They outshot the Senators 14-4, but this time it was Anton Forsberg who stood tall in net.

The Senators forwards seemingly lost their legs, unable to cover Pittsburgh’s defensemen up high in the defensive zone. That led to 11 shots from Penguins defensemen, and several other good chances on deflections and passes. The good news is Forsberg helped the Sens earn a point. The bad news is Sidney Crosby scored the overtime winner, making this game a 1-0 final. Let’s dive into the details.

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Forsberg’s Strong Start

Given the tough back to back situation, where the Senators were playing a road game less than 24 hours after playing a home game, Forsberg needed to have a strong game for the Senators to have any chance. Needless to say, he delivered. He stopped 34 of the 35 shots he faced and was the main reason the Senators were even able to get this game to overtime. His 34 saves were the most he’s had all season. With just nine games to go in the regular season, it’s unlikely that Forsberg has many games left. He’s also at the end of his contract. It would make sense for the Senators to turn to Leevi Merilainen in a backup role next season. So, in what is possibly one of his last starts with the Senators, he made the most of it.

Finishing Issues

It’s not as if the Senators didn’t have their share of chances. Fabian Zetterlund cannot buy a goal right now. He had six shots tonight but came up empty. Batherson also had six shots. Shane Pinto’s breakaway off the post would’ve been a great way to secure the two points late in the third. Jake Sanderson also had a partial break in the overtime but just missed with a backhand. One player that could stand to be more selfish at times is Tim Stützle. With his level of puck handling and speed, he should never have a game without a shot on goal, which is what happened tonight. This ended up being Tristan Jarry’s first shutout of the season.

Additional Notes

Right when Sidney Crosby slashed Artem Zub’s stick out of his hand when Zub was carrying the puck out of his zone and the refs decided not to call it, it seemed obvious the refs weren’t interested in calling much tonight. That’s why it was strange to see Ridly Greig get called for a questionable hook late in the third. The Penguins of course, scored the overtime winner on that power play. One player that seemed to be fighting the puck all night was Nick Jensen. Typically reliable, he struggled with the puck and made a few bad decisions tonight. Looking ahead, the Senators have a nice schedule to finish the season- eight of their last nine games are at home. At home this season, they’ve gone 21-10-2.