1. Defense and goaltending were simply not there
Prior to the game, the Senators announced Linus Ullmark would get the start in goal after missing the past four games with a strain injury. Excitement was back with Ullmark in net, but the defense and Ullmark struggled deeply.
All signs were pointing in the right direction when the Senators got out to a 2-0 lead just 12:15 into the game. Then in a 21-second span, the Golden Knights tied the game at two with 2:16 remaining in the first period. Drake Batherson did score before the first period ended to give the Senators a 3-2 lead.
In the second period, each team scored once and the scene was set for Ullmark to stand tall with the defense in the third period to close out a tough road win. It all went ugly in awful ashion.
With 5:05 remaining in regulation, Nick Cousins was called for an interference penalty. With 3:11 remaining, Tomas Hertl tied the game on the powerplay at four. Just one minute later, Keegan Kolesar gave the Golden Knights a 5-4 lead, and Ivan Barbashev scored his second goal of the game on an empty-net to ice the game.
The @GoldenKnights get their first lead of the game with 2:11 to go in the third! 😳 pic.twitter.com/YEZivLWVye
— NHL (@NHL) October 26, 2024
In a 1:25 span, the Senators allowed three goals to lose the game. For a third period collapse, it's a real brutal one. Ullmark finished by allowing five goals on 27 shots on goal. Not a good first game back after dealing with a injury.
Jake Sanderson had his worst game of the season with being pointless and having a -4 rating. Travis Hamonic also recorded a -3 rating. Seven other Senators finished with a negative rating.
The Senators will close out their three-game West Coast road trip against the Colorado Avalanche on Sunday night in Denver at Ball Arena. Puck drop for the game is scheduled for 9 p.m. ET. The Senators have lost seven of their last eight games against the Senators, and the Avalanche are hot with winning four consecutive games after starting the season 0-4-0.