The Ottawa Senators received a blow Sunday morning.
The hockey club has announced that goaltender Anton Forsberg is out indefinitely with MCLs to his left and right knees. General manager Pierre Dorion told TSN 1200 in Ottawa that Forsberg’s season could be over.
Forsberg left Saturday’s game against the Edmonton Oilers after Zach Hyman landed on Forsberg after being hit by Nick Holden.
Ottawa is already missing Cam Talbot with a lower-body injury he suffered just before the All-Star break. This means the team could be forced to go with Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese in the short term.
Forbserg. 30, is 11-11-2 with two shutouts and a .902 save percentage in 28 games. When Talbot was injured to start the season, Forsberg did much of the heavy lifting with mixed success.
The Senators also announced that defenseman Jake Sanderson will miss at least two weeks with an upper-body injury. Sanderson’s loss will be significant, given his success as a rookie. The 20-year-old had 21 points in 51 games as a minute-thrower, and he even scored against Edmonton before suffering the undisclosed injury on Saturday.
The team is also without forward Josh Norris, who ended the season with a shoulder injury.
Ottawa currently sits eighth in the Eastern Conference wild card race with 51 points, 10 behind the last-placed Pittsburgh Penguins. The team still has a shot at qualifying for the playoffs, but these significant injuries will make life more difficult in the short term – and possibly even prompt a goalie trade. Ottawa last made the playoffs in 2017, losing to Pittsburgh in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals. The team has been rebuilding ever since, with many expecting big improvements this year.
