Cutter Gauthier lit up the net for his second straight hat trick, powering the Anaheim Ducks to a wild 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks Tuesday night. This kid is absolutely on fire, doing something no other Duck has ever done, and he’s suddenly a force nobody saw coming.
Anaheim’s Power Play Was Absolutely Dialed In
The Ducks were a force with the man advantage all night, converting on a perfect 3 for 3 with the power play. Gauthier himself snagged two of his three goals on those power plays. Think about that: they came into this game with the league’s second-best power play, sitting at a scorching 34% behind only the Utah Mammoth, and then they went out and proved why. In their last three games, Anaheim has piled up 10 power-play goals on just 12 chances. That’s a ridiculous conversion rate! Mikael Granlund kicked off the scoring with a power-play tally just four minutes into the first, and Leo Carlsson even chipped in a short-handed goal. Beckett Sennecke was dishing dimes all over the ice, piling up four assists, while Laurent Brossoit stopped 19 shots to keep the Canucks at bay. The Ducks carried a 2-1 lead into the first intermission thanks to Gauthier’s first power-play goal at 17:07 in the period.
Gauthier Is Making History And Lighting Up The League
This wasn’t just a good night for Gauthier, it was a historic one. He’s the first player in Ducks history to record back-to-back three-goal games. His previous hat trick came Sunday in Anaheim’s 6-3 comeback win over the Ottawa Senators. Can you believe this guy? He’s only 22 years old and an American making that kind of impact! After going his previous nine games without a single goal, he’s now exploded for eight goals in his last three outings. That’s the kind of surge that changes games. Vancouver didn’t make it easy, though, with Jake DeBrusk grabbing two goals and Liam Ohgren and Linus Karlsson each adding one. Elias Pettersson also notched a pair of assists, and DeBrusk’s fourth goal of the season, scored while Gauthier was in the box midway through the third, cut the Ducks’ lead to 5-3. He even blasted a point shot with just over 10 minutes left to make it a one-goal game, giving Rogers Arena a jolt of life. But Gauthier’s early heroics, backed by Anaheim’s potent special teams, were enough to hold on. Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves for Vancouver, but it wasn’t enough to stop the Ducks’ offensive onslaught.
The Ducks are riding high after this one. Next up, they hit the road to face the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. The Canucks will try to bounce back when they head to the Winnipeg Jets, also on Thursday. Keep an eye on Gauthier. This kid is on an absolute tear and it’s must-see hockey right now.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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