Forsberg, Senators shut out Panthers, gain in Atlantic 

OTTAWA -- Anton Forsberg made 40 saves for the Ottawa Senators who shut out the Florida Panthers 3-0 at Canadian Tire Centre on Saturday.

"You love seeing a guy come in like that and shut the door for you against the defending Stanley Cup Champions," Ottawa forward Drake Batherson said of Forsberg. "It was a huge game, a huge win, and like I said, he played awesome for us."

Forsberg, who made 15 saves in the third period, allowed no goals in regulation for his second straight start; he made 34 saves in a 1-0 overtime loss against the Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday.

"To be honest, it's been a process all year," Forsberg said of his play. "Even in the beginning of the year, the stats might not have been the best. I didn't feel like I played badly or anything, so we kind of just talked about sticking with it, sticking with the process and work on the things we know I need to work on. And right now, obviously, there's been some success with it."

Jake Sanderson had a goal and an assist, and Batherson scored for the Senators (41-29-6), who have won two straight, and moved within four points of the Panthers for third in the Atlantic Division. Ottawa is also five points ahead of the Montreal Canadiens for the first wild card in the Eastern Conference.

"Tonight, he was an absolute stud," Sanderson said of Forsberg. "They threw every single puck to the net, and honestly, I thought the most impressive part about his game was that he was getting out of his crease, playing the puck very well, and when he does that, it helps the whole team. He was awesome tonight."

Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves for Florida (44-28-4), which clinched a berth in the Stanley Cup Playoffs when the Columbus Blue Jackets lost 5-0 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

"It's definitely frustrating," Panthers forward Jonah Gadjovich said. "Obviously we want to get the wins this time of year but our product is right right now. I think that our game is good. We're playing the right way, we're doing what we want to do, just not getting the final outcome that we want."

Florida, which has lost four straight games (0-3-1), was shut out for the first time since Dec. 18 (4-0 loss to the Canadiens). The Panthers are two points behind the Tampa Bay Lightning for second in the Atlantic and six points behind the first-place Toronto Maple Leafs.

"I feel like 5-on-5 we were the better team," Florida forward Jesper Boqvist said. "We created some really good chances, but I guess we've got to make the goalies make a harder save, right? I mean, a lot of good stuff, but we've got to get those points, I guess. Regroup for tomorrow (at the Detroit Red Wings)."

Sanderson gave the Senators a 1-0 lead at 11:21 of the first period. Shane Pinto circled the Panthers net and found Sanderson in the left slot, who one-timed it over Bobrovsky's right shoulder. Sanderson, who set an NHL career-high in goals with his 11th of the season, has a four-game goal streak at home.

"I think there's certain players that you just kind of sit back and you watch," Ottawa coach Travis Green said of Sanderson. "You don't over coach; you just watch them develop. His game is just slowly evolving into more. It's great to watch and see him progress. We're lucky to have him, quite honestly."

Moments after missing an open net at the edge of the crease, Batherson tipped a shot by Dylan Cozens to make it 2-0 with a power-play goal at 14:17.

"[The first] one hit my skate there and went across the line," Batherson said. "And then I didn't even mean to tip the Cozens shot. It just kind of hit my blade and went in, so I apologized. I said, 'Sorry man, I didn't mean to.' But it happens, I'll take it."

Matthew Highmore scored an empty-net goal for the 3-0 final at 17:40 of the third period.

"There [is] a big chunk of our game that looks the way it's supposed to look," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "I thought our gap was really good, hunt-backs were really good, we were pretty direct to their net. We made a handful of small mistakes 5-on-5, but not many to worry about. So, the game was played right."

NOTES: Forsberg became the fifth goalie in team history to have a 40-save shutout. … With their ninth shutout of the season, the Senators tied the New Jersey Devils and Winnipeg Jets for most in the NHL. … Ottawa improved to 22-1-1 this season when Pinto has a point. … Panthers forward A.J. Greer had game highs in each shots (six) and hits (seven). Florida had 55 hits, the third-most in an NHL game this season (New York Rangers, 57 against Vancouver Canucks on March 22; Boston Bruins, 56 against Winnipeg Jets on Dec. 10).