The Ottawa Senators are in the midst of a nightmare campaign in 2023-24, and things don’t seem to be looking up after goaltender Anton Forsberg sustained a long-term injury against the Buffalo Sabres on Thursday night.
The Sens lost 5-3 to the Sabres — the team’s fifth straight defeat — and also lost the Swedish netminder to a groin injury.
“The Senators will be without goaltender Anton Forsberg for an undisclosed amount of time after he left the team’s game against the Sabres because of a right groin injury he suffered trying to make a stop in the first period,” reported The Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch on Friday.
“The 31-year-old Forsberg was sent for an MRI test on Friday to examine the ailment. He had to be carried off the ice and won’t be back anytime soon, but Steve Staios, the club’s president of hockey operations and general manager, was waiting for word on further testing.”
Forsberg was placed on long-term injured reserve, which will free up $2.75 million. He will miss at least 10 games and 24 days. Joonas Korpisalo will start against the San Jose Sharks on Saturday, while Mads Sogaard was recalled from American Hockey League Belleville on Friday night.
“If Forsberg wasn’t going to be out long, and groin injuries are often tough to predict, then the club would have had to sign a goaltender to a professional tryout to dress as the backup Saturday. Tye Austin of the Carleton Ravens skated with the Senators on Friday,” wrote Garrioch.
‘It’s a process,’ says Senators head coach
Despite expectations to compete for a postseason berth in 2023-24, the Senators are ranked No. 30 in league standings and 19 points out of a wildcard spot in the Eastern Conference. They’re also in last place in the conference.
“It’s a process,” said interim head coach Jacques Martin. “I’m seeing some positive signs in the last three games. I’ve told the team, we’ve done some good things and we’re building with each game. I feel that we’ve beaten ourselves with the last three games.“We’ve had lapses where other teams have taken advantage of them [not playing well on special teams]. We’ve just got to work at it on a daily basis. We’ve just got to be more persistent at playing the game like we played in the third period [in Buffalo]. We need to have that emotion and that engagement that’s required to be successful.”
After five straight losses and with all playoff hope slipping away, Ottawa badly needs a win against the league’s worst team at home on Saturday afternoon.More must-reads: