Golden Knights grind out victory over Red Wings behind Ivan Barbashev's goal

Vegas Golden Knights left wing Ivan Barbashev (49) scores on Detroit Red Wings goaltender John Gibson (36) in the second period of an NHL hockey game Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, in Las Vegas. Photo by: ASSOCIATED PRESS

The Golden Knights have shown they can win in style all season.

On Tuesday night at T-Mobile Arena, they showed they can also win ugly.

Vegas gritted out a 1-0 victory over Detroit Red Wings to improve to a 7-2-3 record and retake the early-season lead in the Pacific Division.  

The star-studded team has largely lived up to their reputation over the first month of the season by flashing their elite offensive abilities, but it took a more physical brand of hockey to get past the Red Wings.  

More than 30 minutes of game time passed before Ivan Barbashev punched in a rebound in front of Detroit’s net to put Vegas up 1-0. The sequence started on a slap shot from defenseman Jeremy Lauzon that Detroit goalie John Gibson stopped.

But he couldn’t corral the puck and his teammates failed to clear it repeatedly. A shot from Brandon Saad followed before Barbashev got two swipes on the puck with the second finding the back of the net.

Vegas largely played tougher in front of the net than Detroit, and that proved the difference.

Lauzon, a depth defenseman acquired in a trade with Nashville this offseason, had his best game since joining Vegas. He appeared to add a goal to his assist in the third period when he blasted one past Gibson, but Detroit challenged for offside and the goal was overturned.

The officials determined Brett Howden, who set Lauzon up, didn’t have control of the puck upon entering the offensive zone in a close call.

Howden started the game on the top line alongside Barbashev and Eichel, but coach Bruce Cassidy began shaking up the combinations to spark some offense.

He might have found a promising mixture when he dropped Howden down to play alongside Mitch Marner and William Karlsson, as the trio played well off each other to create a couple high-danger chances.  

Eichel, Barbashev and Brandon Saad, meanwhile, were even better and accounted for the only goal. Saad played with Eichel and Barbashev in one other recent game before Cassidy went for looking for answers elsewhere.

Alexandre Holtz, who was a healthy scratch against the Red Wings, and Howden had gotten most of the latest work on the top line before Saad was re-inserted in the middle of Tuesday’s game.

The veteran is off to a slow start this season overall, but the way he plays at his best exemplified the win over the Red Wings. It required forechecking, minimizing mistakes and winning puck battles.

Vegas hasn’t needed to rely on those things much so far this season but now knows it’s capable if the situation calls for it.

This is a developing story. Check back later for more coverage.