Another Gauthier hat trick, Ducks hot power play payback Canucks

VANCOUVER, B.C. – Last Tuesday in Anaheim, it was an “unacceptable,” “terrible” and “careless” collapse to the last-in-the-league Vancouver Canucks.

This Tuesday in Vancouver, there was another offensive surge, and despite a push from the hometown Canucks, the Anaheim Ducks rode history to a payback victory.

Cutter Gauthier became the first player in Ducks history to net hat tricks in back to back games, as Anaheim’s historically hot power play unit buoyed a 5-4 road victory at Rogers Arena on Tuesday.

Anaheim (7-7-1, 15 points) has scored 29 goals in the last five games and is 10 for 12 on the power play in the last three games. Ducks are the 10th team in NHL history to score three power play goals in three straight games and the first since the then-Mighty Ducks did it in March 2006.

Anaheim’s 10 power play goals in three games is the most in the NHL since the 2008-09 Minnesota Wild, and Gauthier is the first player in NHL history with multiple power play goals in three straight games.

Mikael Granlund opened the power play scoring, and after Vancouver evened on its own power play, Cutter Gauthier scored his first of two with the extra man. Leo Carlsson scored a shorthanded snipe for a 3-1 lead, and Gauthier’s second gave the Ducks a 4-2 lead into the third period.

Gauthier ripped his third goal less than five minutes into the third period for his second consecutive hat trick and a 5-2 lead.

Gauthier has scored goals in just four games this season, but each one has been a multi-goal night. He is the only the second player in Ducks history with three straight multi-goal games, joining Paul Kariya in 2000-01.

Gauthier has eight goals in those last three games and is the first player age 22 or younger to do so since Patrik Laine in 1998 and just the second since Teemu Selanne in 1993.

Beckett Sennecke assisted on all three Gauthier goals for his first career four-assist game. He is the fourth Duck in the last decade to register a four-assist game joining Ryan Getzlaf, Corey Perry and Nikita Nesterenko.

Liam Ohgren scored the Canucks even-up power play goal, 1-1, and Linus Karlsson scored off a turnover to cut the Ducks lead to 3-2. Jake Debrusk scored on the power play and again at five-on-five in the third period to bring Vancouver back within one goal, 5-4.

Laurent Brossoit stopped 19 of 23 shots in his second straight start as a Duck since being called up from AHL San Diego. Kevin Lankinen made 17 saves for the Canucks.

Anaheim continues its three-game Western Canada road trip with the first half of a back-to-back in Edmonton on Thursday. The Ducks then play in Calgary on Saturday before returning home to host Pittsburgh next Sunday.

Anaheim will debut its Hometown Remix jersey on Sunday against the Penguins. The sweaters for that league-wide alternate uniform initiative were unveiled yesterday morning and resulted in the Ducks’ most single-day jersey sales at the Anaheim team store since the inaugural Mighty Ducks jersey in 1993.

Game Notes:

• Nico Myatovic made his NHL debut on Tuesday. The Prince George, British Columbia native is the second player of Anaheim’s 2023 draft class to play in the NHL following Leo Carlsson.

• Myatovic was called up from AHL San Diego to fill in for AJ Greer, who was placed on injured reserve yesterday with an upper-body injury. Greer took a blindside hit late against Ottawa on Sunday and did not return.

• Jackson LaCombe earned an assist for the eighth straight game tying Francois Beauchemin for the second-longest such streak by a Ducks defenseman. Scott Neidermayer sits just one game ahead with a franchise-best nine-game streak.

• Beckett Sennecke is the youngest player in Ducks history to record a four-assist game at 20 years, 279 days old. He beats out Ryan Getzlaf (20 years, 318 days) and Corey Perry (23 years, 168 days).