Cutter Gauthier made history Tuesday night, recording his first NHL hat trick to lead the Anaheim Ducks to a 7–3 victory over the reigning Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers.
The 21-year-old’s breakout performance gave the Ducks their second win against Florida in eight days and extended their winning streak to four games, News.Az reports, citing foreign media.
Following up on a shootout victory in Florida last week, Anaheim swept a three-game homestand at Honda Center to improve to 8–3–1 (17 points) — taking the top spot in the Pacific Division for the first time since December 2021.
Gauthier, alongside fellow young star Leo Carlsson, opened the scoring just over three minutes into the game. Carlsson set up Gauthier on a breakaway, and the rookie fired a slap shot through Sergei Bobrovsky’s pads. Both forwards have now recorded points in seven consecutive games, with Gauthier tied for the NHL lead at 10 goals.
Florida responded midway through the first when Brad Marchand scored on a breakaway, but Gauthier struck again on the power play — blasting home a one-timer from a Troy Terry feed just 11 seconds after Carter Verhaeghe’s penalty.
The Panthers briefly took the lead in the second period through goals from Evan Rodrigues and Eetu Luostarinen, but Gauthier’s third goal — a power-play snipe from the right circle — tied the game 3–3 and completed his first career hat trick. It also marked his first four-point night.
Anaheim retook control moments later when Nikita Nesterenko netted his first goal of the season amid a scramble in front of Bobrovsky. The Ducks then dominated the third period, adding goals from Jacob Trouba, Chris Kreider, and Jansen Harkins to seal the 7–3 win.
Both teams had 19 shots on goal through two periods, but the Ducks finished with a commanding 32–21 advantage. The loss dropped Florida to 6–6–1 (13 points).