Kings’ Forsberg soaks up Ottawa’s appreciation, then shuts out Senators

OTTAWA – Anton Forsberg knew returning to Ottawa would be emotional, but he couldn’t have scripted it any better.

The Swedish native, now a member of the Los Angeles Kings, posted a 17-save shutout in a 1-0 victory in his first game against his former team.

Before arriving in Ottawa Forsberg wasn’t sure how long his NHL career would last.

Through five seasons he had played 48 games for three different teams and had been claimed off waivers twice in a span of three days before the Senators claimed him off waivers in March 2021.

In Ottawa, he was finally able to establish himself and prove he belonged in the NHL.

In March of 2022, in the midst of a career-year, the Senators signed Forsberg to a three-year $8.25 million extension that finally allowed the journeyman to set some roots for him and his young family.

Forsberg, drafted 188th overall by Columbus in 2011, spent parts of five seasons with the Senators and posted a 62-56-10 record during that span. 

Despite providing Ottawa with a solid option behind Linus Ullmark the club chose to promote from within and Forsberg went on to sign a two-year $4.5 million contract with the Kings.

During a first-period television timeout Saturday, the Senators shared a highlight video and Forsberg admitted it was a bit emotional hearing the applause and seeing the fan reaction.

“It’s been a big place for my family and I, both on and off the ice,” admitted Forsberg. “We made a lot of friends outside of hockey. It’s been our home for quite a while so it was special.”

Forsberg, who was making his sixth start, has a 3-2-1 record on the season and is looking to be a solid contributor for the Kings.

“He was really good,” said Kings coach Jim Hiller. “Probably his best game of the year. It was a good time to save it for him.

“Coming back here he’s got a lot of friends and fans appreciated the job he did while he was a Senator. We really needed him and, you said there wasn’t a lot of shots, but there were four or five that were really important and he got it done.”

Teammates knew the game meant a lot to Forsberg and they were thrilled to be able to come through and help support him.

“It’s fun for him,” said teammate Mikey Anderson. “He gets to see everyone. Some friends and some people that have probably become family for him so it’s a fun night for him. Everyone is pretty juiced up for him.”

Forsberg had a lot of support from his teammates, including a key block by Drew Doughty midway through the first on Tyler Kleven. Doughty left the game and was seen wearing a boot on his left foot following the game.

“The way he (Doughty) battled there, that’s just the type of player he is,” said Forsberg. “It takes a lot for him to go down and he stuck with it and probably took away a goal there, so it was great.”

The Kings said they won’t have an update on Doughty until Sunday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2025.