A 10pm ET start time is hard on any East Coast fan, but watching Linus Ullmark put on a goaltending clinic made staying up past midnight worth every bleary-eyed moment.
Ottawa wasted no time making their presence felt in Sin City. Shane Pinto danced through the neutral zone like he owned the place, firing the first shot of the game from deep past Akira Schmid before the goalie could even get comfortable in his crease. The puck caught Schmid’s right skate and squeaked in just 51 seconds into the contest – not the prettiest goal you’ll ever see, but Pinto won’t be sending it back. 1-0.
Hot start 🔥#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/ajZifxjr1y
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 27, 2025
The Golden Knights got an early power play opportunity soon after when Claude Giroux took a tripping penalty (which he strongly disagreed with), but Ottawa’s penalty kill came out aggressive and Ullmark stood tall when called upon.
Vegas wouldn’t stay out of the box long though. Zach Whitecloud took a delay of game penalty, and Jake Sanderson made them pay. The defenseman uncorked a one-timer that pinged off the post and in, with Schmid getting absolutely no eyes on it through traffic. 2-0 Senators, and the T-Mobile Arena was dead quiet.
Three years and three days later in the same building, this looks an awful lot like Jake the Snake’s first NHL goal 🐍#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/49gJcy72LB
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 27, 2025
Brett Howden pulled one back for the home side, beating both Nick Jensen and Ullmark on a rush. The Golden Knights had a pulse, although this goal wouldn’t spark the momentum swing they were looking for. 2-1.
sheeeeeeesh what a goal from Howie 😮💨 pic.twitter.com/73EqHL4Njs
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 27, 2025
Ullmark made a big stop with some help from Drake Batherson, who took out Mitch Marner in front of the net (a move that had the Vegas bench very unhappy). The puck found its way to Tim Stützle, and Timmy Stü did as Timmy Stü does: carried it all the way down the ice past several Golden Knights to find Batherson streaking in. The dynamic duo of 18 and 19 stayed red hot, and 19 wired it home to restore the two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Beautiful, just beautiful 👏#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/NGidL1vWXG
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 27, 2025
A Brandon Saad high stick on Lars Eller sent Ottawa back to the power play as the period wound down, giving them a chance to extend their lead heading into the first intermission.
Unfortunately the power play to start the second was nothing to wax poetic about. The most notable moment was a shorthanded break for Vegas that required Ullmark to bail out his teammates – not exactly the way you want to start a period with momentum and a two-goal lead. It was a sign of things to come.
While the man advantage was unsuccessful, Vegas followed it up with a sequence that shifted the tone in their favour. Ullmark robbed Braeden Bowman with a spectacular save, but he was slow getting back to his feet. Jack Eichel, sensing blood in the water, snuck past Ottawa’s defensive coverage and tucked it in right behind the sitting goaltender. 3-2.
& that’s how you open the second period 🙂↕️ pic.twitter.com/Z9GxREfTEU
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 27, 2025
Vegas seemed to have turned up the intensity dial while Ottawa seemed content to turn theirs down – never a winning formula. Rushes flew in both directions, but the energy in T-Mobile Arena had completely flipped. It was edgier now, more hits, more chirping, more everything. The Golden Knights smelled a comeback.
Ottawa had to weather a penalty kill after Hayden Hodgson went off for delay of game, and while the team did a decent job, Ullmark was the real star once again.
The period ended with Ottawa back on the power play after Marner caught David Perron with a high stick. But Vegas killed it off aggressively, and heading into the third period it seemed like the desert heat was threatening to melt the Senators completely.
The third period started with Ottawa on their heels. They were behind on the pace, spending far too much time in their own zone while Vegas pressed and pressed and pressed.
Then Dylan Cozens went off for high-sticking Eichel, on a call he (and I) felt was questionable. But off he went, and Ottawa tried to kill it aggressively. They almost got there. But a bouncing puck found its way past Ullmark – off Stützle’s skate, no less – and Mark Stone was credited with tying it up. 3-3, and the Golden Knights had clawed all the way back.
BACK LIKE HE NEVER LEFT 🤩 pic.twitter.com/qeEjLbNbaA
— Vegas Golden Knights (@GoldenKnights) November 27, 2025
The game got even nastier. Hits were landing harder, tempers were flaring, and at one point Stützle threw a body check that had all his teammates stepping between him and some very angry Vegas players. The edge in this game could cut glass.
Through it all, Ullmark was rock solid. Big save after big save, keeping Ottawa alive when they probably didn’t deserve it. You cannot overstate how much the goaltender was the hero here, holding the fort as Vegas threw everything at him, including this Eichel breakaway.
🚫🚫🚫 pic.twitter.com/PnIrICgLxO
— Ottawa Senators (@Senators) November 27, 2025
In the dying seconds, the hockey gods offered Ottawa one last chance. Stützle had a wide-open net on a rebound but the puck slid just wide, and you could feel the collective groan from Senators fans everywhere.
Ottawa was lucky to get to overtime.
The extra frame started with the Sens controlling some early zone time – a promising sign after being thoroughly outplayed for most of the third period. But Vegas wasn’t done testing fate and the post bailed out the Senators when Ivan Barbashev rang iron. Ullmark made a couple more big saves because apparently he hadn’t done enough heroics already, but neither team could find the winning shot and we were headed to the shootout.
Batherson went first for Ottawa and got stopped. Ullmark answered by denying Pavel Dorofeyev. Then Stützle stepped up and hit the post, because of course he did. The guy had horrific luck all night, from the own-goal that tied it to missing the open net in regulation to now this. Hockey can be cruel.
Ullmark stopped Eichel next, though the officials reviewed it just to keep everyone up a little longer. The save stood.
Pinto, clutch as ever, buried his attempt to give Ottawa the edge. Vegas sent out Marner, Ullmark shut the door, and that was that.
Ullmark goes 3/3 in the shootout and Pinto scores the winner. Unbelievable finish. The second save was crazy. #GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/yTicxAF0yY
— Everyday Sens (@EverydaySens) November 27, 2025
Linus Ullmark dragged the Ottawa Senators to a win they had no business getting. Sometimes you need your 8.5 million dollar goalie to steal two points, and on this night in Vegas, that’s exactly what happened. The Senators will take it, even if they know they got away with one. 4-3 in the shootout.
NotesThis win was the Ottawa’s first in Las Vegas since 2018 (yep, you read that right).The Senators were on their heels from the second period onward, looking outmatched 40 of the 60 minutes in what was their worst full game effort in quite a while. Still looking for a little bit more consistency from them.Stephen Halliday stood out particularly in the first period, generating quality rushes and applying consistent offensive zone pressure that helped set the tone early. Like most of the team, he took a step back after the first, but it is worth highlighting how well he fits on that fourth line.Tim Stützle’s performance tonight moved him into 10th all-time in points for the Senators franchise, a milestone that came on a night where he threw several hits, played with an edge, but was supremely unlucky on several prime chances. The full Timmy experience.Jake Sanderson had a good game, putting up three points (1G, 2A) all coming in a dominant first period performance.Linus Ullmark delivered quality save after quality save, staying strong throughout while keeping the Senators in a game they had no business winning – an unbelievable performance that was easily his best of the season.Game Flow
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