Three Thoughts: Forsberg beats Blue Jackets as Stützle has game-winner

The Ottawa Senators finished a 3-in-4 Sunday night with a gutsy 2-1 win in Columbus.

Goaltender Anton Forsberg backstopped the Sens to victory with an impressive performance while Tim Stützle dazzled with a highlight reel goal, as Three Thoughts examines.
Forsberg beats the team that drafted him
Sunday night was a feel-good win for Anton Forsberg.
After being pulled Thursday against Pittsburgh after just 14:22 of action, he got back between the pipes and backstopped the Sens to a hard-earned road victory.
He also did it against the team that drafted him as he beat the Blue Jackets for the first time in his career.
"I spent a lot of time in this organization," Forsberg said. "It's the team that drafted me and I spent my first pro years here … so it feels really nice [to win]."
The Swede stopped 36 shots in the win as he collected his seventh victory of the season.
"He saw everything tonight," Sens head coach D.J. Smith said of Forsberg. "He was a step ahead of everything. The goal that beat him was a double seamer. It's a great feeling for your team when you've got a goalie that's feeling it like that. You know he's seeing it and you know he's in a groove."
Forsberg was drafted in the seventh round by Columbus in 2011 and played 10 games with the team and collected his first NHL win with the club on Jan. 2 2016.
"Forsy did an outstanding job and he got us the win tonight," Stützle said.
Stützle buries game-winner
After Smith called Stützle the Senators' best skater Saturday in the team's overtime loss to Washington, the German went out Sunday and bettered his play and in the process buried the game-winner for the Sens.
The 20-year-old blew through the neutral zone between two Blue Jackets defencemen before he pulled a nifty move on Elvis Merzlikins and lifted the puck high for his seventh goal of the year.
"It was a great play by Formy to give it to me down the middle," Stützle said. "Great stretch by Batherson, he opened everything up for me, the guy was kind of cheating on him, then it was a quick move and I think it was a really nice goal from the whole line."

It was Stützle's second game-winner of the season (Nov. 13 vs. Pittsburgh) and the fourth of his career.
Smith also shuffled the lines mid-game and Stützle spent a good majority of the game alongside Drake Batherson and Alex Formenton.
"I like that look of Stutzle, Formenton and Batherson," Smith said. "It's a lot of speed and skill and gives us a few more options."
Stützle has 11 points (six goals) over his last 13 games.
"[Stützle] looks more and more dangerous every night," Smith said. "He's the difference maker for us tonight."
Lesson learned 24 hours later
The Senators took a 2-0 lead into the third period against Washington Saturday and saw it disappear as they collected a point in a 3-2 overtime loss.
They made sure Sunday they left Ohio with two points.
"We were calmer," Smith said. "We gave up a few, they were pushing. We took care of the inside of the ice, especially in our own zone. They had a lot of zone time but we did a pretty good job.
"Our D did a good job boxing out and under pressure a bunch of times, I thought Branny skated us out of trouble rather than just flip it out. He showed a lot of poise late."
Of the Senators' 12 wins this year, Sunday was the fifth time the team didn't concede a third period goal in the victory. Forsberg made 10 third period saves.
"Our 'D' did a helluva job at the end," Stützle said. "They were working, blocking every shot they can.
"It showed how much of a team we are and how we stick together and just try to get out of it [with a win]."