Vegas Golden Knights vs. Ottawa Senators Pick & Prediction NOVEMBER 21st 2024
Preview and Prediction
Following a season-long five-game road trip that began with a shutout defeat, the Vegas Golden Knights will strive to avoid a third consecutive loss on Thursday when they take on the Ottawa Senators.
The Golden Knights, who currently hold a record of 3-4-2 on the road this season, were handed a 3-0 loss by the Toronto Maple Leafs on Wednesday. This marked their first shutout loss since last season's game against the Colorado Avalanche on January 10th.
This loss came after a 5-2 defeat at the hands of the Washington Capitals on Sunday. The Golden Knights also suffered a loss to the Capitals on October 15th, which initiated a three-game losing streak (0-2-1).
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Prior to their loss against the Maple Leafs, the Golden Knights had been converting on 35 percent of their power plays on the road, the highest percentage in the NHL. However, they were unable to capitalize on any of their three power play opportunities in Toronto.
"It's definitely frustrating," said forward Jack Eichel, whose six-game point streak was snapped in the shutout loss. "We had some chances on the power play, and our power play has been a big factor for us this year, but we couldn't get it done tonight. I think that was the difference. It's frustrating. We need to find ways to score goals."
When asked if the Golden Knights could benefit from a quick turnaround, Eichel replied, "Yeah, we're playing in about 20 hours. We need to learn from this game, but we also need to be better. It's frustrating to lose a few in a row and we don't want to let this continue. We need to find a way to get two points. It's as simple as that. We have a competitive group here and we will respond well."
The Golden Knights will face an Ottawa team that is also reeling from two consecutive losses. The Senators fell 5-4 in overtime to the Philadelphia Flyers last Thursday, followed by a 4-0 defeat to the Carolina Hurricanes on Saturday and a 5-2 loss to the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday.
The Senators found themselves trailing 3-1 in the first period against the Oilers, with superstar Connor McDavid scoring two goals. They were down 5-1 in the third period before Josh Norris tipped in a point shot from Nick Jensen with just 2:24 remaining in the game.
"We were flat," said Ottawa coach Travis Green of his team's performance. "We lacked energy and our execution was not sharp. We looked flat tonight. It's definitely frustrating."
"I think as a group, and myself included, the first two periods were probably the worst two periods I've played," added Senators defenseman Thomas Chabot. "We need to take responsibility. Fortunately, in hockey, we have the opportunity to bounce back quickly."
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Ottawa captain Brady Tkachuk expressed his confidence in his team's ability to bounce back with a strong effort against Vegas.
"No more excuses," Tkachuk stated. "Right now, every game is a must-win. These are the moments that can turn a season around. We know we are a good team."
Forward Drake Batherson also acknowledged the challenge that lies ahead against the Golden Knights, saying, "We know it's going to be a tough game against Vegas. They know how to win. They won a Stanley Cup a few years ago, so it will be a good one. We just need to be ready to grind it out."
Vegas Golden Knights vs. Ottawa Senators
Mark Stone had a goal and an assist in his return to Ottawa and Marc-Andre Fleury had 33 saves while moving into a tie for fifth place on the NHL's all-time wins list as the visiting Vegas Golden Knights snapped a four-game losing streak in Peter DeBoer's head coaching debut with a 4-2 victory over the Senators on Thursday night.
DeBoer, fired by the San Jose Sharks on Dec. 11, replaced Gerard Gallant, who was fired on Wednesday morning. He picked up his 416th coaching victory (416-329-111). Vegas is his fourth head coaching stop.
It was the 458th career victory for Fleury. who snapped a personal three-game losing streak, his longest of the season, while moving into a tie with Henrik Lundqvist of the New York Rangers. Martin Brodeur holds the record with 691 wins.
Stone, acquired by Vegas from the Senators on Feb. 25, 2019, was playing his first game in Ottawa since the deal. He was the subject of a special video tribute by the Senators during the first break in the first period. Paul Stastny, Chandler Stephenson and Ryan Reaves also scored goals for Vegas.
Connor Brown had a goal and an assist and Vladislav Namestnikov also scored for Ottawa, which lost its ninth straight game. Craig Anderson finished with 39 saves.
The Golden Knights, outscored 10-0 in the first period in their previous five games, needed just 34 seconds to score their first goal under DeBoer as Stastny finished a give-and-go with Stone by rifling a wrist shot from the slot past Anderson's blocker side.
Stone made it 2-0 near the end of the second period with his 17th goal of the season and first in seven games, beating Anderson with a wraparound inside the left post.
Stephenson increased the lead to 3-0 early in the third period with a short-handed goal, stealing a crossing pass by Thomas Chabot near center ice and then going in on a breakaway and beating Anderson blocker-side for his ninth goal.
Namestnikov cut it to 3-1 when he one-timed a Chris Tierney pass from the bottom of the right circle for his ninth goal. Reaves put Vegas back up by three with his sixth goal off a William Carrier feed but Brown, left alone in front of the net, answered with a power-play goal three minutes later to end the scoring.