Senators’ Goaltending Still a Concern Despite Changes for 2024-25 – The Hockey Writers Senators Goaltending Latest News, Analysis & More

Fans of the Ottawa Senators could be forgiven for feeling like the cynical weatherman Phil Connors, played by Bill Murray in the 1993 comedy classic “Groundhog Day”. Based on what they’ve seen so far this season, goaltending seems to remain a problem in Ottawa – despite what a succession of general managers (GMs) and coaches have done. 

Sens fans thought the offseason acquisition of 2023 Vezina Trophy winner Linus Ullmark would be their team’s salvation between the pipes. When Senators’ GM Steve Staios signed him to a four-year extension on Oct. 9, the Bytown faithful heaved a sigh of relief. Surely this would put an end to their team’s goaltending merry-go-round that has seen 14 puck stoppers minding the twine in Ottawa since Craig Anderson left town at the end of the 2019-20 season.

At time of writing, heading into a matchup on Nov. 21 against the Vegas Golden Knights, it looks like that may not be true with the Senators ranked 27^th among the NHL’s 32 teams in save percentage (SV%) and 22^nd in goal-against per game (GAA). Overall, the team’s goaltending is ranked 20^th in the league.

Let’s look at why the Senators’ goaltending has disappointed to this point in the season.

Senators’ Goaltending Could Be Better in 2024-25

When asked about his team’s goaltending at a press conference on Nov. 20 the day after the Edmonton Oilers lit up the goal light behind Ullmark five times, Staios said bluntly, “It could be better.” Even so, he believes in his goalies declaring, “It (goaltending) will get there. We know it will. We have confidence in that.”

If his goaltending is to “get there”, then Ullmark, widely regarded as the Senators’ number-one netminder must improve. His performance simply hasn’t met expectations. He has allowed five goals in four games of his 11 starts so far this season. In those starts he’s posted a disappointing SV% of just .884 and a GAA of 2.99. Even for a run-of-the-mill NHL crease-keeper, the corresponding numbers are .903 and 2.91.

What’s troublesome about many of the goals that Ullmark has allowed is that they are what’s known in the goaltending trade as “softies.” In fact, a few of them were so soft that you’d be tempted to pull up a blanket and have a nap.

The irony is that on the Oct. 22 episode of The Hockey Writers’ podcast, I along with The Athletic’s new Ottawa beat writer Julian McKenzie argued that the Senators have a goaltending problem (see the segment on goaltending starting at 12:32). That’s not because of Ullmark, but rather, backup goaltender Anton Forsberg. 

When the episode was recorded, McKenzie and I were reacting to what had happened in the three games the Senators had played after Ullmark was injured in the Oct. 12 game against the Montreal Canadiens, forcing head coach Travis Green to turn to Forsberg. During those three tilts against the Los Angeles Kings, New Jersey Devils and Tampa Bay Lightning, the Senators allowed 14 goals. Forsberg could just barely be considered an NHL-calibre goalie recording a SV% of .865 and a goals-against average of a whopping 4.16 per game. 

My how the tables have turned! In his eight starts this season, Forsberg has a SV% of .903 and a GAA of 2.76. In his last five starts, those numbers are an impressive .920 and 2.20. Not only that, but he’s made a case for Green to give him the nod as starting goaltender with his two shutouts. On that measure he’s tied for second in the league.

Senators Need More Consistency in Goal

Consistency is a problem that Staios has acknowledged explaining that, “we have some foundation of good defensive play – it’s one part of our game where we’ve been consistent. Now we’re looking to add that in other areas.” That sought-after consistency must extend to his team’s crease if they’re to see success this season.

Ullmark hasn’t been able to string together more than a two-game winning streak this season. In three of four wins to his credit in the 11 games he has started, he has notched a SV% of well above .900. Even so, in the remaining six he has been well under that mark. While Ullmark was magnificent in his shutout win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Nov. 12, he went on to give ghastly performances immediately after in tilts against the Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers.

It’s hard to say whether Forsberg can bring consistency to the Senators’ goal crease. That’s because he’s only played eight games and the only time he’s seen consistent action in goal was last month over a two-week stretch when Ullmark was recovering from his injury. 

What must worry Staios and his coaching staff about Forsberg is that his two shutouts mask some awful statistics. Leave out those shutouts, Forsberg’s SV% is an uninspired .847 and his GAA is a frightful 3.33. That’s simply not NHL-calibre goaltending.

The concern McKenzie and I shared on the Senators’ Roundtable was that as good as Ullmark is expected to be for Ottawa, he can’t play all 82 games in an NHL season. His record bears that out. In his 10 NHL seasons, he has never played more than 49 games. 

All of this means that whether it’s injuries or the need to rest Ullmark, Green will need to turn to his backup goalies for as many as 30 games this season. Based on what I’ve seen of Forsberg, 20-30 games with him in goal is enough to put the Senators in a world of hurt.

What’s more, the Senators’ depth behind Forsberg is a question mark. the Belleville Senators’ Mads Sogaard, with just 28 NHL games under his belt over the last four seasons, has notched a SV% of .881 and a GAA of 3.53. That shows he needs more time to develop in the minors. Beyond the 6-foot-7 Dane, there’s not much else in Belleville that the Senators could tap if the need arose.

Senators Need Better Goaltending to Make 2025 Playoffs

Sitting at time of writing with an 8-9-1 record and a .472 points percentage (PTS%), the Senators are quickly digging themselves a hole which will be difficult to climb out of. They probably need a .600 PTS% to qualify for postseason play through a wild-card spot. To reach that they’ll need to play .636 hockey over their remaining 64 games.

Related: Ottawa Senators Playoff Hopes Hang in the Balance in November

That’s a tall order for a team like the Senators.  To meet it they’ll need much better goaltending than they’ve seen so far from their Swedish netminding duo. As their starter, Ullmark must find a way to stand on his head from time to time and steal games from better teams. For his part, Forsberg needs to be good enough to at least keep his team in games that they must win. 

The Senators need to work with what they have in goal – at least for now. And it seems Staios knows that, saying “you’re always looking at areas to improve (but) I can’t see one major area with this group that would need to be addressed.”