INSIDER: Anton Forsberg Is Delivering Down The Stretch

When Anton Forsberg signed in Los Angeles on July 1, I’m not sure very many people would’ve had him down as the NHL’s best goaltender in the month of April with one week left to play.

Think about the circumstances.

The Kings were a team that figured to be in the hunt, as they have been, playing important games in April when it comes to playoff seeding. As it turned out, the Kings have been playing to get in, more so than their seeding, but the point remains that these games have been extremely important.

Then, you look at the role Forsberg was signed to fill. It was that of a backup goaltender to Darcy Kuemper, coming off a Vezina nomination the season prior. Forsberg was brought in to solidify the backup role with the consistency he’s brought throughout his career, with the organization paying a bit more than going rate for that position in order to bring in someone they felt was an upgrade in the games Kuemper did not play, or the games he was unavailable for, which has been the case a few times over the last two seasons.

In looking at the team’s schedule in April, there has only been one back-to-back set thus far this month. You’d have expected the goaltenders to be split in those situations, as they were, as you also might over the next 48 hours, as they Kings visit Seattle and Vancouver.

When you put those three paragraphs together, if things had gone according to plan, it would signal one, maybe two starts for Forsberg so far this month in total. He’s started four times already, with the best splits in the NHL to show for it.

In four April appearances – all Kings victories – Forsberg has a 0.97 goals-against average and a .963 save percentage. Among goaltenders with at least three starts, Forsberg leads the NHL in both categories, while his four wins trail only Ottawa goaltender Linus Ullmark, his goaltending partner last season with the Senators. A scorching-hot stretch, at the most important moment in the season to date.

“He’s been solid throughout the year, really, kudos to him that he came in and he’s in a position to where he’s winning us games,” forward Anze Kopitar said of Forsberg. “Right now, that’s the most important thing, so he’s been doing a phenomenal job.”

Forsberg’s best games of the season have come at a time when the Kings have needed him the most.

At the end of March, the Kings were not in control of their playoff fate. They needed to take care of their own business while also getting some results around the league. They got both parts of that equation and now, as they hit the road for three games to conclude the regular season, they do so with a clinching scenario tomorrow evening and a magic number of four, between Kings points earned and Nashville Predators points dropped.

Forsberg has been one of, if not the most important part of a 5-0-1 run on home ice leading to this point.

That it’s come for him, considering the role he came here to play and the work he’s put in to be ready for this moment, has been noticed and embraced by his teammates.

“Forsy has played great for months, he’s been really good and we’re very confident in front of him,” defenseman Drew Doughty said. “He’s a great goalie, great guy and you want to do things for him because of how hard he works and how good of a teammate he is.”

Forsberg is described as one of the hardest-working players on the team, on top of being a quality teammate, regardless of whether he was starting or not. That is not surprising, considering his background. Forsberg worked his way up through the AHL, where he won a Calder Cup championship in 2016 with the Lake Erie Monsters, in the Columbus farm system. Forsberg didn’t establish himself as an NHL regular until his ninth season in North America, with his fourth NHL organization and he hasn’t played in the AHL since.

Since he’s come to Los Angeles, teammates have gotten a first-hand look at the way he works, day-in and day-out, to prepare himself to play at the highest level. For his teammates, who see those things first hand, it’s been great for them to see a guy like that succeed.

“It’s so rewarding for us to see him get rewarded in that way, because we see how hard he works every single day,” forward Alex Laferriere said. “We see him stretching, working out upstairs, getting on the ice early, doing all this stuff and it makes us so happy for him and it makes us want to play even harder in front of him.”

The hard work that Forsberg puts in has always been there.

Just ask D.J. Smith, who coached Forsberg when he played in Ottawa. That part of his profile has never been in question. What Smith believes has continued to grow for Forsberg has been the mental side of his game. He’s always worked at a certain standard, but the path that Forsberg has taken to this point has had down points along the way. He’s better off for those experiences and as Smith describes it, he’s an easy player to pull for.

“The thing about Forsy is he went through waivers, he’s been through the ups and downs and he’s gotten tougher and tougher mentally every year,” Smith said. “Physically, the work ethic is exceptional and it’s easy to cheer for a guy like that.”

As the Kings enter the final week of the regular season, they’ll need Forsberg to continue the level he’s been at. The Kings don’t want to be a team that is shipping out chances left and right, but they’ve given up a few more than they’d like of late and Forsberg has been there with not only the quantity of saves of the timeliness of saves. Forsberg has saved more than eight goals above average during the month of April, the best clip in the NHL, which shows that the Kings have been pretty good defensively in that time, but in the moments when they haven’t been, Forsberg has slammed the door shut.

“It’s been on us lately, maybe not playing as good defensively as we usually do, so Forsy, he came in and has done a great job,” forward Adrian Kempe said. “Whoever’s in net, they always come up with really big saves and saves that keep us in the games. Forsy has come up with some really big saves to create momentum for the rest of the team.”

Going forward, while Forsberg has been the guy here of late, the Kings can’t afford to lose Darcy Kuemper either. As Smith has maintained, they need both. With a pivotal back-to-back here, plus the nature of the goaltending position, Kuemper will be important down the stretch and potentially into the postseason. He’s won a lot of big games in Los Angeles and shouldn’t be written off if the Kings want to continue playing.

Today, though, the Kings have to ride the hot hand and Forsberg has been that guy. He has earned the starts right now with how he’s played. The team feels they are confident in both players and whoever is in net, the way they play should not change. It should remain consistent. However, it’s been nice to get that save when they’ve needed it, even in moments where the team has slipped. For so long, it was Kuemper making that stop. Of late, it’s been Forsberg. With pivotal games on tap, that’s the save they need to continue to get.

“Our goalie tandem is awesome on and off the ice, they’re just two great human beings, two great goalies and for [Forsberg] to be playing the way he is right now, we’re so lucky,” defenseman Brandt Clarke said. “He’s standing on his head. Whether there’s a mess up in the d-zone or an odd-man rush, he’s so poised, so calm and always making that crucial save. We’re lucky that he’s playing so well right now.”

The Kings are in Seattle, where they will take on the Kraken tomorrow evening at Climate Pledge Arena. Then it’s off to Canada, as the final two games of the regular season will come North of the border. Job is not finished, with wins in two of those three games getting the job done, regardless of what happens around the league. The Kings can formally clinch a playoff spot as soon as tomorrow, with a win and a Nashville regulation loss.