OTTAWA — Anton Forsberg is out indefinitely for the Ottawa Senators with an MCL injury to his left and right knee.
General manager Pierre Dorion said Sunday that the goalie will likely miss the remainder of the season. Forsberg was taken off the ice on a stretcher at 14:37 of the third period in a 6-3 loss to the Edmonton Oilers at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday, when was injured in a collision in the crease after Senators defenseman Travis Hamonic pushed Oilers forward Zach Hyman onto his right leg.
“Real unfortunate for ‘Forsy’ and the extent and the length,” Senators coach D.J. Smith said. “Rarely you see an incident like that with both knees. It was tough to watch it. But he’s a tough kid and he trains as hard as anyone, and he’ll get himself back to 100 percent.”
Forsberg made 31 saves on 37 shots before being replaced by Mads Sogaard (three saves). The Senators lost 6-3.
“You never want to see anyone get hurt,” Hamonic said Sunday. “There’s not much to say. Forsy going down … you just try to get body position, a scramble in front of the net. Forsy is such a big part of our group on and off the ice. It’s unfortunate that situation kind of happens like that. It’s an unintentional accident.”
Forsberg is 11-11-2 with a 3.26 goals-against average, .902 save percentage and two shutouts in 28 games (25 starts) this season for Ottawa. A seventh-round selection (No. 188) by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2011 NHL Draft, Forsberg is 48-57-11 with a 3.08 GAA, .908 save percentage and three shutouts in 130 NHL games (119 starts) with the Blue Jackets, Chicago Blackhawks and Senators.
The 30-year-old signed a three-year, $8.25 million contract ($2.75 million average annual value) with the Senators on March 21, 2022.
“It’s awful,” Hyman said after the game. “I mean, you hear him going down and you hear him in pain, but you can’t do anything. I literally couldn’t do anything. I’m stuck on him because there’s a guy who’s on top of me pushing me in. It’s not a fun play to be a part of. I almost stopped playing there because I locked eyes with him and he was just in pain. Hope he gets better soon. Just a tough, tough play.”
Dorion said Cam Talbot is skating and will be back within the next two weeks. The goalie hasn’t played since Jan. 25 because of a lower-body injury. Goalie Kevin Mandolese was recalled from Belleville of the American Hockey League on Sunday.
Ottawa rookie defenseman Jake Sanderson is out at least the next two weeks with an upper-body injury. He left in the third period Saturday following a hit from Oilers defenseman Vincent Desharnais.
“We talked about how good he is, what kind of talent he is,” Hamonic said. “Being a young player aside, Jake has really developed into one of our top defensemen both offensively and defensively. It’s going to be a blow to our team when he’s out, but it’s going to be next man up until he gets back in. Everyone has to pull on the rope a little bit heavier.”
Sogaard will start for the Senators (24-24-3) against the Calgary Flames on Monday (7:30 p.m. ET; SN, RDS, ESPN+). They’re seventh in the Atlantic Division.
“He won’t be as nervous as his first game, but he looked really good in practice,” Smith said. “We have to take care of the puck in front of him, his first couple shots can’t be odd-man rushes. Let him see the puck in the first period.”
You must be logged in to post a comment.