Cutter Gauthier just keeps on hitting, racking up his ninth goal in just four games to help the Anaheim Ducks snag a wild 5-4 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday night. This dude is on an absolute tear, and the league is definitely noticing.
Gauthier Is Absolutely Torching the League
Let’s talk about Gauthier for a second, because what he is doing right now is insane. He is the first Anaheim player EVER to hit nine goals in a four game span. NINE! He also added an assist in this game, just for good measure. He was coming off *consecutive hat tricks* leading into this one, which is just bonkers. Out of those nine goals, seven of them have come on the power play in that same four-game stretch. You want to know how rare that is? Dating all the way back to the 1933-34 season, only two other NHL players have done that: Dave Andreychuk back in ’92 with eight power-play goals in four games, and Teemu Selanne in ’08 with seven. That’s some elite company right there.
And Gauthier wasn’t the only Duck lighting it up. Pavel Mintyukov and Beckett Sennecke each chipped in two goals and an assist, making it a nightmare for the Oilers’ defense. Laurent Brossoit stood tall in net, making 23 saves to seal the deal. The Ducks have now won three straight and are looking sharp at 8-7-1.
McDavid Is Still Doing McDavid Things, But Oilers Are Tanking
On the other side of the ice, Connor McDavid is doing everything he can, but it just isn’t enough for the Oilers right now. McDavid notched three assists in the game, extending his season-opening points and assists streaks to a ridiculous 17 games. He’s got an NHL-best 44 points and is tied for the fourth-longest points streak to start a season in league history. Yeah, he is still an absolute force.
But even with McDavid doing god-level things, the Oilers still lost, their second straight defeat, dropping them to 11-3-3. They were in a tough spot in net, running with fourth-string goalie Matt Tomkins, who made 16 saves. Their usual starter, Tristan Jarry, was out with illness, and both Devon Levi and Frederik Andersen were injured. They even had Brett Epp, a full-time emergency backup goalie, sitting on the bench, making them the first team in the league to do that. It just sums up the kind of night it was for Edmonton.
The Ducks, riding high at 8-7-1 after three straight wins, are on a roll and will look to keep it going when they face Calgary on Friday night. Meanwhile, the Oilers need to turn things around quick when they host Vancouver on Saturday night, or McDavid’s incredible streak might just feel a lot less special.
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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