Anaheim Ducks vs Vancouver Canucks

Cutter Gauthier just made Anaheim Ducks history, and he picked the perfect night to do it. The 22-year-old winger netted his second consecutive hat trick on Tuesday, powering the Ducks to a 5-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks at Rogers Arena and fending off a terrifying third-period rally.[2][3][4]

Gauthier's performance cements him as the first player in the history of the Anaheim franchise to record back-to-back three-goal games. He had just torched the Ottawa Senators for a hat trick on Sunday, and he brought that exact same lethal release across the border.[2]

The win was a massive exorcism for an Anaheim squad that collapsed in this exact building just a week ago. On October 27, the Ducks blew a 5-2 lead to these same Canucks, ultimately falling 6-5 in overtime.[4]

This time, staring down another 5-2 advantage in the final frame, Anaheim held the line. Laurent Brossoit anchored the crease with 19 saves, surviving a late Vancouver onslaught that saw the Canucks pull their goaltender for an extra attacker with nearly two minutes remaining.[3][4]

Anaheim's special teams were the undeniable difference-maker, executing at a flawless 3-for-3 clip on the power play against a struggling Vancouver penalty kill. The Ducks entered Tuesday boasting the NHL's second-best power play at a blistering 34 percent, trailing only the Utah Mammoth.[2][4]

They leave Vancouver looking even more dangerous, having converted 10 power-play goals on 12 opportunities over their last three games. Gauthier was the centerpiece of that man-advantage dominance, exploding for eight tallies in his last three contests after going nine games without a goal earlier this season.[2][4]

Mikael Granlund ignited the scoring just four minutes into the opening frame. Operating on Anaheim's first man-advantage of the night, Granlund threaded a shot through Lankinen's pads from the high slot, immediately putting the Canucks on their heels.[4]

Vancouver responded quickly when Marco Rossi found Liam Ohgren just above the crease for a power-play tap-in at 6:04. But the Canucks' discipline unraveled late in the period, handing the momentum right back to Anaheim's lethal top unit.[2][3]

After Ohgren had a go-ahead goal waved off for a holding penalty, Gauthier capitalized just eight seconds into the ensuing power play. He one-timed a feed from Beckett Sennecke at 17:07 to give Anaheim a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.[3][4]

Sennecke was the quiet architect behind Anaheim's offensive explosion, finishing the night with a staggering four assists. The rookie's vision consistently cracked open Vancouver's defensive structure, feeding Gauthier in the left circle for his second power-play strike late in the middle frame.[2][3]

Anaheim's special teams clinic wasn't limited to the power play. Early in the second period, Leo Carlsson broke loose for a short-handed 2-on-1 rush, ripping a shot past Vancouver goaltender Kevin Lankinen to extend the Ducks' lead to 3-1.[3][4]

Vancouver clawed back within a goal at the 8:17 mark of the second period. Drew O'Connor battled down low and found Linus Karlsson, who patiently outwaited Brossoit before slotting home his fourth goal of the year from a sharp angle.[3][4]

Lankinen, making his first start since October 22, struggled to find his rhythm against Anaheim's high-danger chances. The Canucks netminder finished with 17 saves on 22 shots, absorbing his team's defensive lapses as Vancouver dropped to a dismal 3-13-1 on the season.[3][4]

Despite their structural flaws, the Canucks refused to go quietly. Jake DeBrusk breathed life into the Rogers Arena crowd midway through the third period, slipping a backhand past Brossoit on the power play to snap a 10-game goal drought.[3][4]

Four minutes later, DeBrusk struck again. The veteran winger tipped a point shot from Jamie Oleksiak past Brossoit at the 9:34 mark, suddenly cutting Anaheim's commanding lead to a single goal and setting up a frantic finish.[3]

Vancouver threw everything at the Anaheim net in the dying minutes, pulling Lankinen with 1:43 left on the clock. But Brossoit and the Ducks' defensive core locked down the slot, blocking shooting lanes and clearing rebounds to secure the 5-4 regulation win.[3][4]

The victory pushes Anaheim to 7-7-1, stabilizing their season as they prepare to face the Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. For Vancouver, the loss deepens an early-season crisis, leaving them searching for answers ahead of a daunting matchup against the Winnipeg Jets.[2][4]