Forsberg's 40-save shutout leads Senators past Panthers

OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) — Anton Forsberg made 40 saves in his third shutout of the season as the Ottawa Senators beat the Florida Panthers 3-0 on Saturday.

Jake Sanderson had a goal and an assist and Drake Batherson and Matthew Highmore also scored for Ottawa.

Sergei Bobrovsky made 19 saves for the Panthers, who dropped their fourth straight game. Florida can secure a postseason berth if Toronto beats Columbus later Saturday.

The Panthers had not been shut out since a 4-0 loss to Montreal on Dec. 28.

Forsberg was peppered with shots from Florida. He went side-to-side for a save midway through the second period on Seth Jones and made a highlight-reel save on Sam Reinheart near the end of the frame.

The Senators (41-29-6) moved seven points ahead of Montreal for the first wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference in a bid for their first playoff berth since 2016-17. The Canadiens host Philadelphia later Saturday.

Takeaways

Panthers: Florida is trying to find some spark with the season winding down. The Panthers cobbled together a lineup against Ottawa, but are still down plenty of their stars, including Matthew Tkachuk.

Senators: Ottawa is thrilled to get the impressive effort in net from Forsberg in the first of a weekend back-to-back. Ottawa took both games against Florida opponents this week after beating the Tampa Bay Lightning 2-1 on Thursday.

Key moment

With two minutes left in the second period, it looked as if Florida had beaten Forsberg for a goal. But, a high stick was immediately called, preserving the shutout bid.

Key stat

Sanderson scored for the fourth straight home game.

Up next

Both teams play Sunday. The Panthers visit the Detroit Red Wings, and the Senators host the Columbus Blue Jackets.

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AP NHL: https://apnews.com/hub/nhl