After finishing a three-game road trip with back-to-back losses at Anaheim and Utah, the Vegas Golden Knights open a four-game homestand against the Ottawa Senators on Wednesday night in Las Vegas.
The Golden Knights, who use the nickname “The Fortress” during broadcasts when referring to T-Mobile Arena, have struggled on home ice so far this season. Vegas has just five regulation home wins in 11 games (5-3-3) and has lost four of its last five home contests (1-2-2).
The Golden Knights come in off a 5-1 loss to Utah in Salt Lake City on Monday. Mammoth forward Logan Cooley scored four goals, the final two empty-netters, and also had an assist. It marked the first time a player scored four in a game against Vegas since Feb. 13, 2020, when St. Louis Blues forward Zach Sanford achieved the feat.
The Golden Knights, who outshot Utah 16-4 in the second period, had closed within 2-1 on a goal by Ivan Barbashev before Cooley scored a natural hat trick in the final period, the last one short-handed against a 6-on-4 Vegas power play.
“It’s tough to lose like that,” Barbashev said, “but we just got to regroup and move forward.”
Ottawa will be playing the fourth game of a season-high seven-game road trip. The Senators opened the trip with back-to-back 3-2 victories at Anaheim and San Jose but couldn’t complete a three-game sweep of California teams, losing 2-1 to the Los Angeles Kings on Monday.
The contest with the Kings was scoreless heading into the third period. Warren Foegele scored on a tap-in of a Joel Armia pass by the left post to give Los Angeles a 1-0 lead at the 5:31 mark, but Ottawa tied it midway through the period when Fabian Zetterlund put in a rebound of a Nikolas Matinpalo shot from the left circle.
The Kings’ Brandt Clark scored the game-winner on a power play with 6:10 remaining, one-timing a shot that bounced off the left leg of Ottawa defenseman Artem Zub and into the net.
“It was just a tight game,” Senators coach Travis Green said. “Both teams checked well. They got a bounce at the end, and what decided it was one bounce.”
Zetterlund said, “There was not much going on. We both played a really good game, and then they got the win at the end. It’s a tough loss.”
Ottawa forward Drake Batherson said his team needs to regroup quickly.
“We’ve got another good team next game against Vegas,” Batherson said postgame. “Play the same way we did tonight and I think we’ll have a good chance.”
Ottawa held an optional skate on Tuesday at T-Mobile Arena, and one of the players who worked out was captain Brady Tkachuk.
Tkachuk, an all-star who is expected to be a key member on the U.S. Olympic team in February, has been out since sustaining ligament damage to his right thumb in an Oct. 13 game against the Nashville Predators. The ailment necessitated surgery. The Senators have gone 10-5-4 without Tkachuk, who could return to action this week.
“He’s great,” Green said. “I expect him to play sooner than later.”
