(Candice Ward-Imagn Images) W.G. Ramirez Wed, October 28, 2026 at 6:42 AM UTC · 5 min read About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement LAS VEGAS — Raphael Lavoie arrived at the rink expecting to sit out. He left with his first NHL goal and a game-winner.
Lavoie broke a third-period tie, and Adin Hill stopped 25 shots as the Golden Knights defeated the Ottawa Senators 4-1 on Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena, snapping a three-game losing streak.
"Just before I left the rink, they told me I was playing," Lavoie said. "So yeah, guess that's how it was supposed to happen, I guess."
Braeden Bowman scored on the power play, while William Karlsson and Jack Eichel added empty-net goals for Vegas, which improved to 9-4-1. Shane Pinto scored Ottawa's lone goal, and Jonas Johansson finished with 25 saves.
"We needed to kind of turn the corner there and come away with a win tonight," Hill said. "So that was big for our guys. It's a good hockey team over there, the Senators. So yeah, we found a way to get it done."
Lavoie was projected as a healthy scratch before the Golden Knights adjusted their roster after Carter Hart 's morning-skate injury. Given his opportunity, he delivered the decisive finish at 8:01 of the third period, putting Vegas ahead 2-1.
It was his first goal in 27 NHL appearances and his 10th game this season.
"It's been a long time coming," Lavoie said.
Ville Heinola and Nic Dowd assisted, with Dowd reaching 200 career points. Heinola earned a point in his Golden Knights debut.
Coach Ryan Craig credited Marc Gatcomb 's defensive work at the start of the sequence and Heinola's willingness to join the rush, helping create an opportunity that Lavoie finished around the net.
"Pretty much everybody on the ice touched the puck," Lavoie said.
For Craig, Lavoie and Hill provided examples of players responding when circumstances changed.
"Sometimes it's just a matter of taking advantage of your opportunity," Craig said. "Those are two guys that did tonight."
Hill supplied the foundation long before Lavoie's breakthrough.
Ottawa held an 11-4 shot advantage in a scoreless first period. Early in the second, Hill denied Tim Stützle with a sprawling save, moving across the crease to stop a dangerous back-post opportunity.
"At that point it's just desperation, doing everything you can to try and keep the puck out of the net," Hill said.
His most consequential intervention came late in the middle period while Vegas was on the power play.
With Ridly Grei g threatening on a shorthanded breakaway, Hill charged out toward the right faceoff circle and poked the puck away. The Golden Knights turned the play back toward Ottawa's net, where Bowman finished a rebound from Ivan Barbashev's shot with 11 seconds remaining.
Hill said the puck slowed more quickly than he expected on the worn ice, forcing him to adjust as he raced toward Greig.
"At the end of it, just did a butterfly, kind of aimed to make sure he didn't get the puck through me," Hill said. "And yeah, we had a little collision there."
The sequence transformed a potential Ottawa lead into a 1-0 Vegas advantage entering the second intermission.
"I thought our bench got going after the goal ended up going in," Craig said. "They're all pointing down at him. So, you know, those kind of things can get you going."
That lead lasted just 34 seconds into the third.
Drake Batherson found Pinto for a power-play goal that evened the score, extending Vegas' streak of games allowing a power-play goal to six.
Vegas gradually improved its puck management and work away from the puck, two areas Craig identified as central to the turnaround after the opening period. The Knights generated more sustained offensive-zone time by playing off shots and recovering pucks.
"It was a grind of a victory," Craig said. "Ottawa's a very good team. You can see the skill they have, very structured. They do a good job. They can capitalize on opportunities. For us, we had to stay with it and grind, and in the second half we got better."
Lavoie restored the lead, and Vegas protected it until Karlsson scored into an empty net with two minutes remaining. Eichel added another with seven seconds left.
Hart's availability remained uncertain, leaving Hill focused on preparing for the next game.
"We don't have an update on Carter at all yet," Hill said. "So yeah, I mean, we're on to the next game and just get ready, approach every game like I would normally."
Hill's aggressive challenge on Greig prevented a shorthanded chance from becoming a potential deficit. Bowman's goal at the other end gave Vegas the lead seconds later and energized the bench.
Hill stopped 25 of 26 shots for a .962 save percentage, earning his fifth victory of the season.
"He looked solid back there," Craig said. "He looked like he was prepared and ready to play, and good on him."
Initially expecting to sit out, he scored his first NHL goal midway through the third period. It held up as the game-winner.
The Golden Knights conclude their two-game homestand against the New Jersey Devils on Friday at 3 p.m. PT at T-Mobile Arena for Nevada Day.
Vegas Golden Knights center Raphael Lavoie (36) scores his first NHL goal against the Ottawa Senators in the third period at T-Mobile Arena.
Source: Sports
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