OTTAWA — Encouraged by the return of goaltender Linus Ullmark to the active roster, the Ottawa Senators celebrated with a 7-1 whipping of the Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday.
Ullmark drew into the lineup minutes before puck drop for the first time since Dec. 27 to back up starter Mads Sogaard. Ullmark — the 2022-23 Vezina Trophy winner — was out of the lineup for personal reasons.
Stephen Halliday and Dylan Cozens each scored twice for the Senators (24-21-7), who led 1-0 after the first period and 4-0 heading into the third. Fabian Zetterlund, Jordan Spence and Nick Jensen also scored, while Brady Tkachuk chipped in with three assists.
Rasmus Andersson scored at 15:05 of the third period for the Golden Knights (25-14-12).
The Senators outshot the Golden Knights 31-20.
Sogaard was tested early, staring down Vegas forward Mitch Marner for a penalty shot two minutes into the game. He outwaited Marner’s patience on the attempt, as the star forward overskated the net and missed his shot.
The Senators struck first when Zetterlund sent a pass in from behind the Vegas cage, off Vegas defender Kaeden Korczak’s leg and past Adin Hill.
Ottawa’s penalty kill came up big seconds into the second period, killing off a Vegas 5-on-3 to start the middle frame. That momentum continued and six minutes later, Ottawa’s offence was rolling.
TAKEAWAYS
Golden Knights: A blowout at the hands of the struggling Senators should be a wake-up call that there’s still work to be done if Vegas wants to contend for another Stanley Cup.
Senators: This team can dance with the best in the league — and even blow them out. They’ll need to replicate more of what they did against Vegas to resurrect their playoff chances.
KEY STAT
Twenty-three-year-old Senators forward Stephen Halliday scored his second and third career goals, and added an assist for a three-point game in his first season in the NHL.
UP NEXT
Golden Knights: Visit the Montreal Canadiens on Tuesday.
Senators: Host the Colorado Avalanche on Wednesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 25, 2026.
David Cummings, The Canadian Press
