Talbot, who broke his rib during training camp, made his season debut in a 5-4 loss to the Vegas Golden Knights on Thursday, relieving Anton Forsberg in the second period with Ottawa trailing with 5-1. He was expected to be out 5-7 weeks when the injury was announced on October 3rd. “I feel good,” Talbot said. “It’s a grind. You never know when these things are going to heal. There’s nothing you can do to speed up the process. I’ve just tried to stay ready, stay fit and it’s good to be back out there with the boys finally.” Talbot was acquired in a trade with the Minnesota Wild on July 12. He was 32-12-4 with a 2.76 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and three shutouts in 49 games (48 starts) with the Wild last season and went 0-1 with a 4.15 GAA and .846 save percentage in the playoffs of the Stanley Cup. The Senators (4-6-0) have lost four straight. “The plan is we have to get him to play,” Ottawa coach DJ Smith said Thursday. “He’s an all-star goalie and he hasn’t played in the first 10 games. We’ve got to get him in some games. We know he can help us and it’ll give us some confidence when he gets in there.” Forsberg has started nine of the Senators’ 10 games this season (3-6-0, 3.58 goals-against average, .898 save percentage) and has missed several practices to deal with fatigue and a nagging injury. “He keeps us in these games and gives us a chance to win every night,” Talbot said of Forsberg. “It’ll be nice to give him a break coming up. I’m sure he’s looking forward to it as well.”
