Last night, the Ottawa Senators had a huge showdown against the New York Rangers at Madison Square Garden. Long story short, the game went ugly for the Senators.
The Senators were shutout 5-0 and it was arguably the worst loss of the 2024-25 season. Igor Shesterkin recorded a 20-save shutout. In two games against the Senators this season, Shesterkin has stopped 60 of the Senators' 61 shots on goal against him.
Eleven games into 2025, the Senators have been shutout four times. Confidence was riding high after this past weekend's back-to-back wins. However, as the Senators headed to New York City, Travis Green made the mistake of starting the wrong goaltender against the Rangers, even though the end result was awful.
Not starting the hot Forsberg would backfire
Riding your hot goaltender is important. While Leevi Merilainen has been hot in goal for the Senators, he allowed in five goals in his last start this past Saturday against the Boston Bruins. Anton Forsberg in his last start stopped 25-of-26 shots on goal by the New Jersey Devils this past Sunday.
Forsberg's solid start helped him end his five-game losing skid in goal. Instead of riding Forsberg who was hot, Green started Merilainen against the Rangers. Merilainen's start went rough.
Merilainen made 14 saves on 16 shots on goal by the Rangers, but the Senators were able to wipe off two Rangers goals after Green challenged two goals for the play being off-sides. Even after the Rangers had their second goal of the game disallowed 5:31 into the second period, Green pulled Merilainen for Forsberg. The score could've been 4-0 by the time Merilainen got pulled had Green not challenge the goals.
Forsberg played the remainder of the game. In relief of Merilainen, Forsberg allowed three goals on 13 shots on goal, but two of the goals came when the Rangers were on the powerplay. The Rangers scored two powerplay goals in the third period against Forsberg in a 56-second span.
In a surprising twist, Green made the mistake earlier this season of not rolling with a hot Forsberg after a solid start in November. The Senators allowed in five goals in the game, with three of them coming in the third period, and the game was played in the state of New York.
Forsberg earned a shutout on Nov. 2 against the Seattle Kraken. Three days later, the Senators met the Buffalo Sabres in Buffalo, New York. Instead of rolling with the hot Forsberg, Green started Linus Ullmark where he allowed in five goals in the game, with three of them being allowed in the third period.
The Senators will be back in action tomorrow night at 7 p.m. ET with another showdown against the Bruins in a five-day span, but the game will be played at TD Garden in Beantown.