Norris scores in shootout to lift Senators past Wild 2-1 for 2nd win in Sweden
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Josh Norris scored the only goal in a shootout to lift the Ottawa Senators past the Minnesota Wild 2-1 on Saturday as the NHL’s Global Series continued in the Swedish capital.
Norris wristed the puck past goaltender Filip Gustavsson to win the second game in Stockholm and extend Ottawa's winning streak to three.
Swedish defenseman Erik Brannstrom scored in the third period for the Senators, and goaltender Anton Forsberg made 24 saves in regulation and overtime before stopping all three Wild shots in the shootout. Forsberg assisted on Brannstrom's goal and became the first Swedish native goalkeeper to win a NHL regular-season game in the country.
“We’re in a spot where we need to win every game now to get back on track, and it was a good trip to get the group together,” Forsberg said.
“I think we’ve done it pretty well with having team dinners and stuff. The guys have had some fun and obviously with four points getting out of here, it couldn’t have been better.”
Marco Rossi scored for the Wild, who have lost four in a row to drop to 5-8-3 this season. Mats Zuccarello of Norway had an assist, and Gustavsson, another Swede, stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced.
“We didn’t get the result, which was disappointing, but the process is correct,” Minnesota coach Dean Evason said. "You just have to keep doing it over and over again and believe that the process will allow you to have success.”
The game was the third of four over four days at Avicii Arena. Ottawa beat the Detroit Red Wings in overtime on Thursday, the Toronto Maple Leafs defeated Detroit on Friday and the Wild play the Maple Leafs on Sunday in the first four-team series in one city outside of North America. The games are the first for the NHL in Sweden since the COVID-19 pandemic.
After Forsberg denied Marcus Johansson on a penalty shot 3:38 into the second period, the Wild took the lead a few minutes later when Rossi tipped in a slap shot from the point by defenseman Brock Faber. It was the sixth goal of the season for the 22-year-old Austrian center.
Brannstrom roofed a slap shoot from the left circle to tie it 3:22 into the third in his 200th game.
The Senators are in Sweden for the third time, after sweeping a two-game series against the Colorado Avalanche in 2017 and splitting another against the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2008.
Ottawa returns home with four points, a goal for the trip to help the struggling Senators turn things around after losing six of their previous nine games and languishing in last place in the Atlantic Division.
“That’s the way we have to play to give ourselves a chance every night, away from the puck,” Ottawa coach D.J. Smith said. “I thought our defensive zone was as good as it’s been. Our neutral zone, we broke the puck out, we did a lot of really good things. We ended up winning the game, but even if we lost, I’d be up here saying the same thing. I thought as a group we were more connected and we looked a lot more organized tonight.”
UP NEXT
Wild: Face the Maple Leafs on Sunday.
Senators: Host the New York Islanders on Friday.
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