Ilya Samsonov’s stellar performance, with 38 saves, helped the Vegas Golden Knights secure a 3-2 victory over the Ottawa Senators on Thursday night.
After conceding 10 goals in his previous two starts, Samsonov bounced back with clutch saves on Josh Norris, David Perron, Tim Stutzle, and Brady Tkachuk to frustrate the Senators.
The Senators (8-10-1) extended their losing streak to four games, managing just two goals across their last three contests.
Vegas (12-6-2) struck early in the first period when Linus Ullmark made a sprawling save but couldn’t recover in time, leaving Jack Eichel with an open net for his sixth-season goal. Brett Howden doubled the lead midway through the second period, slipping a shot under Ullmark’s arm.
Adam Gaudette responded for Ottawa with a power-play goal 7:17 into the third period, trimming the deficit to 2-1. However, Pavel Dorofeyev restored Vegas’ two-goal advantage just two minutes later.
Drake Batherson reignited the Senators’ hopes with a rebound goal off Jake Sanderson’s shot, cutting the Golden Knights’ lead to 3-2 with just over seven minutes remaining. Ottawa couldn’t complete the comeback despite outshooting Vegas 18-5 in the third.
Takeaways
Senators: Ottawa has been struggling when falling behind early. It has now lost eight straight games and has a record of 1-9-1 when conceding the first goal.
Golden Knights: Vegas took advantage of a costly Ottawa line change, setting up Howden’s goal to take a 2-0 lead in the second period.
Key Moment
Trailing 3-2 late in the third, the Senators had a golden opportunity on the power play but failed to find the equalizer.
Key Stat
Vegas boasts an impressive 12-1-1 record against Ottawa since the team’s inception in 2017.
Up Next
- Senators: Host the Vancouver Canucks on Saturday night.
- Golden Knights: Face the Montreal Canadiens on Saturday afternoon.
