The Ottawa Senators capped off a successful weekend in impressive fashion as the team recorded shutouts in back to back games on April 5 and 6. Anton Forsberg and Linus Ullmark recorded a shutout each, and the Senators moved into the league lead for shutouts on the season with 10.
The weekend kicked off on Saturday when the Senators took on the Florida Panthers for a 2:00 p.m. matinee showdown. The Sens took the game by a score of 3-0. Jake Sanderson, Drake Batherson and Matthew Highmore all scored for the Senators, but it was Anton Forsberg who stole the show in goal.
The Swedish goaltender made 39 saves including a highlight reel diving save across the crease to rob Seth Jones with his glove on what seemed like a sure goal. The shutout marked Forsberg’s third of the season. His first of the year came on October 22, when the Senators defeated the Utah Hockey Club by a score of 4-0. Forsberg made 31 saves on the night for the shutout. Forsberg’s second shutout of the season came on November 2 in the Senators’ 3-0 victory over the Seattle Kraken, with Forsberg making 22 saves.
Following Forsberg’s shutout on Saturday, it was Linus Ullmark who stepped up to face the Columbus Blue Jackets on Sunday. Adam Gaudette, Nikolas Matinpalo, David Perron and Shane Pinto all scored for the Senators, while Ullmark stopped all 30 shots he faced to blank the Blue Jackets.
It was Ullmark’s team-best fourth shutout on the season. He recorded his first on November 12 in the Senators’ 3-0 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs, making 27 saves en route to the shutout. On December 13, Ullmark made 32 saves to lead the Senators to a 3-0 win over the Carolina Hurricanes for his second shutout of the season. On December 17, Ullmark made 30 saves to record his third shutout of the season as the Senators defeated the Seattle Kraken 3-0, holding the team scoreless in their two-game season series.
The Senators pair of shutouts this weekend marked the first time that the team has recorded shutouts in back to back days since February 25-26, 2015. The pair of shutout wins both belonged to goaltender Andrew Hammond and helped spark the start of the iconic Hamburglar run in which Hammond recorded a 20-1-2 record.
Hammond’s first shutout came in a 3-0 victory over the Anaheim Ducks on February 25, in which Erik Condra, Mika Zibanejad and Kyle Turris all scored for the Senators. Hammond made 25 saves in goal for what would be his first career shutout.
The following day, Hammond held down the fort as he made 35 saves to shut the door on the Los Angeles Kings and record his second shutout in as many days. Mike Hoffman scored the lone goal for the Senators, who won the game by a score of 1-0.
Today, the Senators sit on the precipice of a playoff clinch for the first time since 2017. Fans looking to join in on the action and cheer their team on in the push for the playoffs can get their tickets to the team’s upcoming game against the Montreal Canadiens on Friday, April 11 HERE.
