It will surely go down as one of the more shocking results of the NHL season.
Playing their second game in less than 24 hours, the Ottawa Senators called up minor-league goaltender Mads Søgaard to start against the rested Vegas Golden Knights on Sunday evening.
Somehow, the Sens took down the Knights 7–1 at Canadian Tire Centre (17,025).
Sogaard was named the game's first star, making 19 saves, and had a chance to address the crowd afterward in a live post game interview with TSN. The Great Dane, who's dealt with so many injuries, spoke about how appreciative he was to play again for the fans in Ottawa.
"It's been a really long road back here and a lot of hard work a lot of really hard days," Sogaard told the media after the game. "But I have an amazing support system and they're the ones who helped me to get here. So I'm very thankful to get the opportunity and then super thankful for the guys to play as hard as they did."
Rookie Stephen Halliday led the way offensively with two goals and an assist, though he unfortunately left the game in the third period after being hit into the stanchion near the players’ bench. Halliday's head struck the stanchion and he fell hard to the ice, requiring some help to get up and head for the locker room.
Brady Tkachuk chipped in with three assists, Dylan Cozens scored twice, and Søgaard, appearing in just his second NHL game of the season, lost his shutout bid with less than five minutes left in the third period on a goal by newcomer Rasmus Andersson.
With the Senators playing the second game of a back-to-back, 37-year-old James Reimer was given the night off, while Linus Ullmark returned to Ottawa’s lineup after missing most of the past month while dealing with mental health issues. He served as Søgaard’s backup.
The Senators are back at it on Tuesday, hosting the Colorado Avalanche.