Senators' Tkachuk backs 'goalie of the future' Sogaard during crucial stretch

Senators captain Brady Tkachuk gave Mads Sogaard a vote of confidence after a litany of injuries to Ottawa's crease forced the 22-year-old goaltender into the spotlight.

"He's a young goalie, but he's our goalie of the future," Tkachuk said after Thursday's 5-4 loss to the Colorado Avalanche. "He's going to take us to the Stanley Cup, and he's going to take us to that next level that we want to get to.

"It's just a shitty situation that he's in right now with the pressure and him being such a young goalie, but we have all the belief in him, all the faith. It’s unbelievable how good of a player he is already. He's already stepping in and giving us a chance to win."

Sogaard owns a 5-4-1 record this season to go along with an .883 save percentage and 3.46 goals against average.

All of his starts have come after the All-Star break; Anton Forsberg's season effectively ended after he suffered MCL tears in both knees on Feb. 11, while the injured Cam Talbot has been limited to just four games since Feb. 1 and is expected to miss around two more weeks with a mid-body ailment.

The Senators have had to rely on Sogaard and inexperienced backup Kevin Mandolese as they fight for a place in the postseason. They're eight points behind the New York Islanders for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference.

Ottawa pushed its losing streak to four games with Thursday's dramatic defeat to the defending Stanley Cup champions. Avalanche forward Lars Eller potted the eventual game-winner during a bizarre sequence in the second period.

The Senators appeared to think an icing call was imminent, but the whistle wasn't blown to stop play. Eller then tapped in the puck sitting in the crease.

Tkachuk made it clear the Senators didn't blame Sogaard for the incident.

"It's one of the weirdest goals this year. ... I feel terrible for him," he said.

The Senators selected Sogaard in the second round of the 2019 draft. He registered an .889 save percentage and 3.07 goals against average in two showings last season.