Kings 1, Senators 0
A familiar face returned to one of his old haunts on Saturday night and shut the door on the Ottawa Senators.
Former Ottawa goaltender Anton Forsberg made 17 stops as the Senators were shutout for the first time this season in a 1-0 loss to the Los Angeles Kings in front of 17,772 at the Canadian Tire Centre.
Forsberg, who spent parts of five National Hockey League seasons with the Senators after being picked up on waivers during the 2020-21 campaign, owed a debt of gratitude to his Kings teammates, who played strong in front of him.
He did make a huge stop on Ridly Greig with 8:39 left in the third period.
This was the first time in eight games that the Senators hadn’t earned at least a point, but they are still 4-1-3 in that span even after their first loss in regulation time since Oct. 28 against the Chicago Blackhawks.
Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark wasn’t tested much, either, and only faced 18 shots. The Senators did a good job not allowing odd-man rushes.
You knew early this would be a tough night for anybody who bet the over.
Kings forward Kevin Fiala directs the puck toward Senators goaltender Linus Ullmark under pressure from Ottawa defenceman Tyler Kleven.
DEFENCE, DEFENCE, DEFENCE
The Senators came into this night with only one regulation loss in the previous 12 games. Since Oct. 21, they had a 7-1-4 record in that stretch.
The last time Ottawa lost only once in regulation in 12 games was when the Senators went 10-1-1 in March 2015.
The Senators have gotten better goaltending in this stretch and timely scoring. They’ve also played better defensively, which prepared them well for this one.
Los Angeles made it tough for Ottawa skaters to find their way to the net, playing relentlessly in front of Forsberg.
The Kings were forced to play the final frame without top defenceman Drew Doughty. He blocked a shot with his left foot in the second period and limped off the bench late in that frame.
T0UGH GOING
Senators head coach Travis Green predicted this would be a tough battle. He wasn’t kidding. The Kings didn’t give up much, and the Senators had a difficult time creating sustained pressure.
Through 40 minutes, the Senators had outshot the Kings 10-7. Yes, it was impressive defensively, but this was the worst two periods this rink has witnessed in the first six weeks of the 2025-26 season.
Not only was offence hard to come by, but so were shots. The Senators had only two shots in the first period.
The Senators’ power play came into this game with one goal with the man advantage on 21 attempts in the previous eight games. They weren’t even able to register a shot on two power-play chances in the first period.
Forsberg didn’t even face a shot until Claude Giroux registered one with seven minutes left in the first.
Alex Laferriere opened the scoring for Los Angeles on the second shot Ullmark faced, tipping a shot from the point through him. That came at 9:19 of the first period, and it was the 12th time in 19 games that Ottawa had given up the first goal.
Kings goaltender Anton Forsberg pokes the loose puck away from Senators forward Fabian Zetterlund in the first period on Saturday night.
FRIENDS BECOME FOES
Ullmark versus Forsberg.
It was the battle of the starter against the backup, who left in the summer as an unrestricted free agent.
Ullmark, who had Thursday off, returned for his 15th start of the season. He came into this game without any career losses against the Kings in regulation. Previously Ullmark had a 4-0-3 record versus L.A. along with a 2.34 goals-against average and .910 save percentage.
Forsberg came into this game with a 2-0-0 lifetime record against the Senators with 1.92 goals-against average and a. 934 save percentage. This was the first time he had faced the Senators since helping lead Chicago to a 3-2 victory on Feb. 21, 2018.
Forsberg was honoured with a tribute video in the first TV timeout and was given a strong salute by Ottawa fans. He touched his heart to acknowledge the ovation.
bgarrioch@postmedia.com
Related