Gauthier Hat Trick Powers Ducks to 5-2 Win Over Penguins
The victory extended Anaheim’s run of high scoring into an eight-game stretch of five-or-more goals and underscored the team’s red-hot power play.
Overview
- The Anaheim Ducks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 Sunday night at the Honda Center, with Cutter Gauthier scoring three goals including an empty-netter to complete the hat trick.
- Gauthier extended his goal streak to six games and his points streak to eight games during a scoring surge that has produced multiple multi-goal outings.
- Captain Mikael Granlund set up plays throughout the game with one goal and three assists while the Ducks went 2-for-4 on the power play and lead the league in home power-play percentage.
- Laurent Brossoit stopped 32 shots for his fourth straight win in Anaheim while Penguins goalie Arturs Silovs made 20 saves and Pittsburgh closed with two 6-on-4 goals from Kris Letang and Rickard Rakell.
- Anaheim’s eight-game run of scoring at least five goals is the first such streak since the 1988–89 Los Angeles Kings, a run that has raised the Ducks’ profile and may force opponents to adjust defensive matchups and special-teams tactics; reports also noted a reported six-year, $81 million extension for Gauthier that has limited sourcing.