Vancouver Canucks fall 5-4 to Ducks as Gauthier's second straight hat trick makes team history

The Vancouver Canucks lost 5-4 to the Anaheim Ducks at Rogers Arena on Tuesday night. Cutter Gauthier scored his second straight hat trick, becoming the first player in Ducks history with back-to-back hat tricks; he has eight goals in the past three games after going nine games without scoring, and is the first player in NHL history to score multiple power-play goals in three straight games. Anaheim improved to 7-7-1 with points in four of five games, while Vancouver fell to 3-13-1, its only win in 14 games coming in overtime against the Ducks on October 27. (Cover photo is a file photo of Rogers Arena.)

How the game unfolded: Ducks' power play went 3-for-3, late rally fell short

Mikael Granlund scored on Anaheim's first power-play shot at 4:04 of the first period; Liam Ohgren tied it 1-1 on Vancouver's power play at 6:04. Gauthier made it 2-1 on the power play at 17:07, Leo Carlsson made it 3-1 short-handed at 2:58 of the second, Linus Karlsson pulled Vancouver to 3-2 at 8:17, Gauthier made it 4-2 on the power play at 18:25 and completed his hat trick at 4:11 of the third for 5-2. Jake DeBrusk scored at 5:30 and again at 9:34 of the third to cut it to 5-4, but Vancouver could not complete the comeback. Anaheim's power play went 3-for-3; its 10 power-play goals since October 29 are the most in a three-game span since the Minnesota Wild in 2008-09.

Gauthier and Sennecke: four primary assists for the rookie

Beckett Sennecke had a career-high four assists, all primary, including the passes that set up all three Gauthier goals; he called Gauthier's shot the best he has ever skated with. Granlund had a goal and two assists, and Laurent Brossoit made 19 saves for his second straight win as a starter with Anaheim. For Vancouver, DeBrusk said special teams were the difference and that bad penalties at bad times had cost the team all year. Defenceman Tom Willander was a late scratch with a lower-body injury sustained in the morning skate.