2023-24 Playoff Focus: Gustav Forsling (SCF, GM 1)

Digging in for a shutout

Credit: NHL.com

The last time we checked in, Gustav Forsling was skating circles around the Rangers in Round 3.

Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final was a much more defensive affair for the 27-year-old rearguard. Whether it was due to the long layoff or the stylistic matchup, Florida spent the majority of Saturday night’s contest on its heels. Forsling was thus tasked with holding down the fort rather than tilting the ice.

He was clearly up to the challenge.

Slowing down the high-flying Oilers in the NZ was the first order of business, and that happens to represent the Swedish blueliner’s bread and butter. Watch him smother this zone exit:

On reception, Zach Hyman (EDM 18) barely has time to look up before Forsling crashes down on him, corraling him on the boards and denying the middle of the ice with his stick. Very few—if any—defensemen in the league are better at skating opponents into a dead end.

This is a dangerous dance to perform against the likes of Connor McDavid (EDM 97), but Florida’s 1D strikes a fine balance between proactive defense and sound positioning:

Early in the third frame, he pinches to disrupt the Oilers’ initial touch on the breakout. Then he hustles to regain leverage vs. McDavid, catching up to the speed merchant from behind, knocking the puck off his stick and throwing a hit in there for good measure. Forsling made the simple act of getting out of the starting blocks difficult for Edmonton’s captain in Game 1.

Fortunately for the Panthers, he was equally pesky in the DZ.

Notice how well his range serves him on this sequence. There’s a bit of Duncan Keith in his ability to put out fires while keeping his eyes peeled on his main assignment:

Off a DZ faceoff loss, he flares out to the half-wall in order to eat 97’s time and space, blocking a pass in the process. While Leon Draisaitl (EDM 29) pulls the puck out of the pile and musters a backhand, Forsling’s instincts and catlike reflexes ensure that he can reach the rebound before a lurking McDavid does.

It can sometimes feel as though he’s everywhere at once.

Perhaps most importantly in Game 1, he hindered the Oilers’ tendency to turn a good chance into a great one:

Thanks to his nonstop scanning (shoulder-checks galore), Forsling has a habit of picking the right battles to engage in. Whenever Edmonton rumbled downhill on Saturday night, Forsling camped the weak side to deter any inkling of an extra pass. In other words, McDavid, Draisaitl and company could only take what his teammates gave them.

Not the sexiest stuff, but it must have pleased Sergei Bobrovsky all the same. Without needing to worry about the back door, the uber-athletic netminder locked on to his target and pitched a shutout in Game 1.

On the night, Forsling posted a 53.3 xGF% and +2 rating with 0 GA. He logged 3:38 of the final 4:37 in regulation to seal the victory.

Here are the full highlights:

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