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Next Man Up: Injured Goaltending rises for the Ottawa Senators

By Jacob Larivière |
OTTAWA, CANADA - DECEMBER 06: Cam Talbot #33 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Los Angeles Kings at Canadian Tire Centre on December 06, 2022 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)
OTTAWA, CANADA - DECEMBER 06: Cam Talbot #33 of the Ottawa Senators skates against the Los Angeles Kings at Canadian Tire Centre on December 06, 2022 in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. (Photo by Chris Tanouye/Freestyle Photography/Getty Images)

Cam Talbot missed the game versus the Chicago Blackhawks and now is on the Injured Reserve

At morning skate on Friday morning, it was expected that Cam Talbot would make his fourth start in a row, after winning the previous three. Unfortunately a few hours before game time it was announced that he was injured. The Ottawa Senators lost 5-0, ending their 5 game winning streak. On Wednesday, it was announced that he will be missing approximately 3 weeks due to an oblique strain. What does this mean for the Ottawa Senators?

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Making sense of who’s hurt and who’s not

Cam Talbot is far from being the first goaltender for the Senators to lose time due to injury this year. In fact, it’s not even his first injury of the season. At the beginning of the year, he missed a few games due to having broken ribs, and more recently missed time with a lower-body injury. This time, he is out with an oblique strain.

Starter Anton Forsberg is also missing time. He is currently out with injury to both of his MCL’s. He had taken the starter role last season from Matt Murray(who by the way, was often injured) and played this well disregarding his injuries. He also suffered an undisclosed injury at the beginning of the season where he missed a handful of games.

Kevin Mandolese of the Ottawa Senators makes a glove save against the Boston Bruins  | Photo by Richard T Gagnon for Getty Images
Kevin Mandolese of the Ottawa Senators makes a glove save against the Boston Bruins  | Photo by Richard T Gagnon for Getty Images /

In the AHL, the Belleville Senators are also dealing with injuries. Antoine Bibeau and Dylan Ferguson are currently out with injury. Not much is known on Bibeau’s injury nor when he will return. Ferguson is currently listed as day-to-day. In Belleville, the current tandem is Luke Richardson and Ferguson. No news yet on if or how long Ferguson will be out for. Richardson is on an AHL level PTO, so he would not be eligible for an NHL call-up should injuries continue to pill up.

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Mads Sogaard and Kevin Mandolese are the only NHL eligible goaltenders that remain healthy in the organization. Between the pair, they have 11 games of NHL experience. While both Mandolese and Sogaard have played tremendously so far, it remains to be seen if they can handle the load for extended periods of time. So far, Sogaard has played the most between the pair. He currently has a record of 5-1-1 with a save percentage of .899 and Goals Against Average of 2.94. Before Wednesday’s game his numbers looked much better but they’re still pretty good for a rookie. Mandolese has went 1-1 with a .938S% and GAA of 2.45.

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Closing thoughts

While Talbot should be back in-time for playoffs, it will be tough to get there. The rookies have been great so far, but we’re about to find out if it is sustainable in the short term. Mads Sogaard is shaping out to be the future in net for Ottawa let’s see if he’s ready.

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