Cutter Gauthier just completed his third hat trick in five games, and the Ducks beat the Penguins 5-2 in Anaheim tonight.
Pittsburgh scored twice, but the night belonged to the Ducks' left winger again. It is the kind of stretch that sends statisticians scrambling.
Zach Cavanagh noted that there is a "metric ton" of historic Gauthier stat notes coming from NHL and Ducks PR, enough to fill a five-page essay on their own.
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Gauthier is 22 and was born in Skelleftea, Sweden. The Philadelphia Flyers drafted him fifth overall in 2022, and nobody who watched that draft class would have guessed he would be piling up hat tricks like this in Anaheim.
Three hat tricks in the last five games is not a normal hot streak, so the game-by-game picture is worth a look.
The win comes right after a 5-3 victory in Calgary on Friday. Before tonight, the Ducks had won four straight under Joel Quenneville.
Anaheim was already getting attention around the league last week, when its Hometown Remix jersey was unveiled. Now the attention is about what the team is doing on the ice.
What Gauthier's run means for the Ducks
Quenneville has a player who can end a game by himself, and the opposition knows it. Every penalty Anaheim draws becomes a problem for the other team, because Gauthier is the shooter everyone is watching.
A defense can tighten up for one night. Doing it for five games running, against a winger who keeps finding space, is a much harder job, and so far nobody has solved it.
Pat Verbeek's club hosts the Predators on Wednesday, and Nashville will walk in with one name circled on the scouting report. Whether Gauthier can keep scoring once teams start building their game plans around him is the question that will define the Ducks' November.
Quick hits
DEVILS: Rob Reinhart reports that goaltender Connor Hellebuyck has requested a trade, per sources. The team has not confirmed it. If it's true, the Devils have a major situation to sort out in net.
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WINNIPEG JETS: Connor Hellebuyck says he's disappointed he won't face the Jets in Winnipeg on Tuesday, according to David Pagnotta. The old crease still means something to him.
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WASHINGTON CAPITALS: Devils coach Sheldon Keefe says Hellebuyck is expected to play both games against the Capitals when New Jersey gets back. That is a notable plan given the trade request report.
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CALGARY FLAMES: Devin Cooley could not get to the overtime celebration fast enough Sunday night, according to Gino Hard. After a win like that, the goalie's reaction is easy to understand.
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PHILADELPHIA FLYERS: Kevin Kurz says Daniel Vladar was the only reason the Flyers got a point in their 4-3 overtime loss in Calgary. Philadelphia will need more from the skaters in front of him.
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