Cutter Gauthier took over Sunday night, and the Anaheim Ducks rolled past the Pittsburgh Penguins 5-2 at Honda Center.
Gauthier finished with three goals and an assist, while Mikael Granlund set the tone early and kept feeding the attack with three assists. Anaheim also got a goal from Tristan Luneau and a strong night from Laurent Brossoit, who turned aside 31 of 33 shots.
The Ducks struck first on the power play at 8:26 of the opening period when Granlund scored off assists from Gauthier and Jackson LaCombe. From there, Gauthier kept piling on. He doubled the lead on the power play at 6:28 of the second period, then added another at 9:11 of the frame to make it 3-0.
Luneau pushed it to 4-0 with a power-play goal at 5:12 of the third period, and by then Anaheim had firmly taken control. Pittsburgh did make things interesting late, getting power-play goals from Kris Letang at 8:05 and Rickard Rakell at 13:42 of the third, but Gauthier shut the door with an empty-netter at 19:26 to finish the scoring.
Jackson LaCombe picked up three assists for Anaheim, and Granlund’s night ended with one goal and three helpers. For Pittsburgh, Evgeni Malkin collected two assists, while Arturs Silovs stopped 20 of 24 shots.
The Penguins actually outshot the Ducks 33-25, but Anaheim made its chances count, going 3 for 4 on the power play. Pittsburgh finished 2 for 6.
The win moved Anaheim to 10-7-1 and extended its streak to five straight, leaving the Ducks sixth in the Western Conference. Pittsburgh fell to 6-10-2 and sits 14th in the Eastern Conference.
Anaheim hosts the Nashville Predators on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 10:00 p.m. ET.
Pittsburgh visits the San Jose Sharks on Wednesday, Nov. 11, at 10:00 p.m. ET.
In Other News...
Cutter Gauthier Is Making The Ducks Rebuild Look Way Ahead Of Schedule
Cutter Gauthier keeps turning Anaheims early-season surge into something bigger than a hot streak. His latest outburst helped the Ducks beat the Pittsburgh Penguins and stretch their winning streak to five games, while also reinforcing just how quickly the rebuild around him is coming into focus. With Gauthier and Leo Carlsson both signed to major contracts, the organization has already committed to its young core, and so far that bet looks a lot more promising than anyone outside the room might have expected this soon.
Gauthiers production has given the Ducks a legitimate top-end scorer to build around, and Carlssons strong start has only added to the sense that this team is arriving ahead of schedule. The challenge now is less about proving the talent exists and more about seeing how long Anaheim can keep this pace going once the schedule tightens and opponents start adjusting. For a franchise that has spent recent seasons searching for a clearer direction, the early returns are giving the Ducks something they have not had in a while: a reason to think the future is already showing up in the present. [Read more 🡒]