Leevi Meriläinen or Anton Forsberg? Who should the Senators keep as their backup goalie?

OTTAWA The Saturday afternoon crowd at Canadian Tire Centre had a yellow tinge, particularly in the lower bowl.

Thousands of Boston Bruins fans populated the Ottawa Senators home confines to watch their Original Six team play.

But even a larger opposing crowd than usual had to join Senators fans in applauding another iteration of Leevi Merilainen s brilliance.

LEEVI MERILAINEN All he does is continue to impress.

#HockeyDay : @Sportsnet or stream on Sportsnet+ https://t.co/4KjbdjVctF pic.twitter.com/DDD0B3Ogfk NHL (@NHL) January 18, 2025 These big saves are starting to become routine for the Finnish netminder.

Days earlier, he made a pad save on Andrew Mangiapane before stymying Tom Wilson in overtime against the Washington Capitals in a 0-0 game.

Merilainen lost that game, but only because he got beat by Alexander Ovechkin in his chase for Wayne Gretzkys goal-scoring record.

On Saturday, despite allowing five goals in regulation, the Senators fought back to force a shootout.

Merilainen stood his ground against all three Bruins shooters and even stared down David Pastrnak after stopping him en route to a 6-5 comeback victory.

Advertisement His composure in the net, Senators head coach Travis Green said after the Boston win.

He just looks calm.

He doesnt look like any moments been too big for him so far.

Hes had a nice little run here.

Not even 24 hours later, the Senators vanquished the New Jersey Devils in the second game of a back-to-back.

Instead of the 22-year-old Finnish goaltender, Anton Forsberg suited up for his third game since returning from a lower-body injury.

Forsberg fended off a ton of rubber with a tired Senators team in front of him.

But he still made 25 saves on 26 shots in a 2-1 victory.

It was his first win since Nov.

25.

Its a long time since Ive won a hockey game, Forsberg said after the win.

So, good for the confidence.

Obviously, its a super important game in this race.

Its a tight game every game now.

I think were playing really well right now.

The Senators are used to bad goaltending, so having two goalies who can get them wins is a luxury theyll take.

It could be three once their No.

1 goalie, Linus Ullmark , returns from his back injury.

Ullmark is skating alone and travelled with teammates to New Jersey over the weekend, but theres no immediate word on when hell play again.

And just as Senators fans mightve been ready to cast him away, Forsberg may have finally returned to form.

Youre happy for him, obviously he hasnt played in a little while, Green said.

Just to come in, you could see he was ready to play.

We needed him tonight.

So, is there a genuine debate about who should back up Ullmark when hes healthy enough to play again? The numbers lean toward one guy, but its still notable to consider what the Senators think of the other.

When Merilainen joined the Senators on their road trip through western Canada in late December, not much was thought of him as an added reinforcement.

But Merilainens play is now helping the Senators keep their chase in a crowded Eastern playoff picture.

Merilainen isnt quite there, but his play has harkened some flashbacks to Andrew Hammonds performances during the 2014-15 campaign when he won 20 out of 23 possible starts, helping the Senators reach the postseason.

Advertisement Merilainen has a record of 6-2-1 since his season debut on Dec.

21.

The Finnish netminder also has a 2.20 goals-against average and a .917 save percentage.

One weekend ago, the Senators had no problem starting Merilainen in back-to-back games against Pittsburgh and Dallas .

Were just kind of going with the hot hand there, Senators goalie coach Justin Peters said of the decision.

Merilainens calmness has shone through during his time with the team.

But theres fire under that quiet nature, too.

Hes almost like a little bit of a silent assassin, Senators captain Brady Tkachuk said on Friday.

I mean, he doesnt say too much.

Its funny.

In some of the games, he gets the oil fired up.

Its great to see hes competitive.

He wants to win, and its great to see the success hes not just having for himself, but hes really put our team in a good position and won some big games.

Forsbergs statistics dont hold up as brightly.

Despite posting two shutouts this season, his victory against the Devils is one of two victories hes had since early November.

But he hasnt been awful the entire way.

For example, he made 30 saves in an overtime loss against the Detroit Red Wings earlier this month.

The best of those 30 saves was eerily similar to one of Merilainens on Saturday.

Anton Forsberg with an unbelievable save to keep the game tied at 2.

After a rough start to the season, this is the kind of timely, big save the Senators needed from him.

#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/p85SvrdD9T Jacob Billington (@JacobBillingt10) January 8, 2025 Forsberg is not having an ideal season as a pending unrestricted free agent.

But it seems the Senators have his back.

Remember, GM Steve Staios likes the depth he has at that position, specifically mentioning Forsberg and even Mads Sogaard as reasons why.

GO DEEPER McKenzie: Is GM Steve Staios right to feel comfortable with the Senators' depth? Peters also expressed a vote of confidence in Forsberg a few days ago and praised Merilainen last week.

We have a lot of confidence in our goalies.

I have a lot of confidence in (Forsberg) and I know hes going to get right back in there soon and do the job, too.

I think Leevis just taking advantage of an opportunity hes got here.

And with that, the teams played well in front of him, Peters said.

Advertisement The Senators dont have to move any goalie off their roster as long as David Perron is on long-term injured reserve, but Perron has been inching closer and closer to returning.

If Ullmark were to remain and the Senators kept three goalies, it could raise a question about whether Merilainen should be sent to the AHL to play games and not sit, rather than placing Forsberg on waivers or seeking a trading partner.

(You probably remember Pierre LeBruns report about the Carolina Hurricanes expressing interest in Forsberg back in December.) And even if Forsberg improves his standing between now and the end of the season, it might not be enough.

If Merilainen continues his play, he should be the backup of the future.

The question now is how soon that future comes.

But a win for Forsberg goes a long way for his confidence as well as the teams confidence in him.

It could also be buying time until his replacement takes over.

(Top photo of Leevi Merilainen: Andre Ringuette / NHLI via Getty Images).

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