Golden Knights Top Senators 4-1 as Raphael Lavoie Scores First Career Goal

The Vegas Golden Knights halted a three-game losing streak on Tuesday night, securing a 4-1 victory over the Ottawa Senators at T-Mobile Arena. Raphael Lavoie broke a third-period tie with his first career National Hockey League goal, lifting Vegas past an Ottawa squad opening a five-game road trip. The contest pitted two top-three conference teams against each other in Las Vegas, with the hosts relying on timely goaltending and opportunistic finishing to pull away late.

Lavoie's milestone moment occurred eight minutes into the final frame. Playing in his 27th career game, the forward tapped the puck home after receiving a precise pass from blueliner Ville Heinola. Veteran Nic Dowd recorded the secondary assist on the scoring play, marking the 200th point of his NHL career. Lavoie's tally restored the lead for the Golden Knights after Ottawa had leveled the score earlier in the period, shifting momentum back to the home side for good.

Vegas had initially seized the lead in the closing seconds of the second period following a critical defensive sequence by goaltender Adin Hill. Ottawa forward Ridly Greig broke away shorthanded, but Hill aggressively charged out of his net to the right face-off circle to poke the puck clear. Vegas immediately transitioned up ice, where Braeden Bowman pounced on a rebound generated by Ivan Barbashev's shot from the right circle, burying a power-play goal with only 11 seconds remaining before the intermission.

Ottawa mounted an immediate response to open the third period. Just 34 seconds after the puck dropped, Drake Batherson threaded a pass into the slot for Shane Pinto, who converted on the power play to knot the score at 1-1. The primary assist continued a productive run for Batherson, who pushed his total to eight points over his last five contests. The goal also prolonged a defensive concern for Vegas, representing the sixth consecutive game in which the Golden Knights surrendered a goal on the penalty kill.

After Lavoie restored the advantage, the Golden Knights held firm and sealed the decision in the final minutes. William Karlsson and Jack Eichel each added empty-net goals to establish the final three-goal margin. Hill finished the night with 25 saves on 26 shots, stepping into the starting role after fellow goaltender Carter Hart was ruled out due to an undisclosed injury sustained earlier in the day during Vegas' morning skate.

At the other end of the ice, Jonas Johansson turned aside 25 shots while making his second consecutive start in net for Ottawa, stepping in as starter Linus Ullmark remained sidelined with a lower-body injury. Senators head coach Travis Green opted to keep the rest of his lineup unchanged following Saturday's victory over the New York Rangers. Despite generating pressure and capitalizing on their early third-period man advantage, the Senators were unable to build on their momentum during the tightly contested final 20 minutes.

The result moved Vegas to a 9-4-1 record on the season, helping the club rebound after three consecutive setbacks, while the Senators dropped to 8-5-0. Ottawa will seek a bounce-back performance when its five-game road swing continues on Thursday night against the Los Angeles Kings. Meanwhile, the Golden Knights remain at home to conclude their schedule for the week, hosting the New Jersey Devils on Friday evening at T-Mobile Arena.