LAS VEGAS – The Vegas Golden Knights’ 6-4 victory against the Ottawa Senators on Friday at T-Mobile Arena was by no means the prettiest game.
“You’re going to win over the course of the 82 games when you’re not at your best,” Vegas coach Bruce Cassidy said. “Not going to sugarcoat it. We were awful at times. At the end of the day, you’ve got to get to your game sooner than later.”
Frantic Finish
The Golden Knights got to their game in the final four minutes, scoring three goals in that span to put away the Senators.
Tomas Hertl started the rally, scoring off a one-timer from the slot after taking a pass from Mark Stone from behind the goal line.
TOMAS HERTL SCORES ON HIS FIRST NEVADA DAY WITH THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS ???? pic.twitter.com/pRYivkqRpx
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 26, 2024
“The turning point is the power-play goal,” Cassidy said. “Hertl’s been in that spot a few times now. That’s a play we’ve used. Teams know it. They pre-scout us. (We) were still able to execute that play.”
Keegan Kolesar gave the Golden Knights its first lead a minute later, sniping a wrist shot past Ottawa goalie Linus Ullmark.
“I was kinda shocked. But it’s a good feeling to bounce back like that, and to play a part in that is special,” Kolesar said. “Maybe the ice was getting chewed up and gave me a little extra bounce. Maybe it was a knuckle puck there.”
KEEGAN ABSOLUTELY MASSIVE GOAL-ESAR ???? pic.twitter.com/TRLUtmRlJp
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) October 26, 2024
Ivan Barbashev closed the game with an empty-net goal at 18:14.
“It shows the character of the team,” Barbashev said. “It was a wake-up call for us. We just let them push us around for about 50 minutes.”
Hill Settles In
Adin Hill made 35 saves and was solid overall. He struggled in the first period but settled down to allow just one goal over the final 40 minutes.
“Hopefully, for him, he feels good that he got the win,” Cassidy said. “We gave him some run support today, but, at the end of the day, hopefully, he takes that part of it and works on his game (today). … Hopefully, he gets a little better.”
Golden Knights-Senators Scoring Recap
The Senators took a 2-0 lead early in the first period from goals by Adam Gaudette and Claude Giroux.
Vegas rallied to tie the game at 2, following goals by Nicolas Roy and Nicolas Hague.
Drake Batherson reclaimed the 3-2 lead for the Senators, taking advantage of a Vegas giveaway in the offensive zone.
Barbashev’s first goal, at 6:40 of the second period, tied the game, but Gaudette struck again at 17:44 while on the power play to give the Senators a 4-3 advantage.
The Golden Knights pressured the Senators for most of the third period. At 14:55 of the third, Tanner Pearson drew an interference penalty, setting up the heroics to close out the game.
“Nobody asks how, but we just got two points,” Hertl said.
Up Next for the Golden Knights
Vegas returns to the ice on Saturday for a game against the winless San Jose Sharks. The puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. at T-Mobile Arena.
Despite the Sharks being winless, Kolesar stressed the importance of not overlooking them.
“You can’t count out anyone in this league,” Kolesar said. “That’s disrespectful. It’s the NHL for a reason. Good players play in this league, no matter what team you’re on.”
