Cutter Gauthier delivered his second career hat trick on Sunday night, netting the go-ahead goal in the final frame to cap a stunning rally as the Anaheim Ducks erased a three-deficit to defeat the Ottawa Senators 6-3 at Anaheim, Calif., according to the article. The victory marks just the second win in nine games for Anaheim, fueled heavily by a dominant special teams performance that saw the hosts convert four of five power-play opportunities.
Special Teams Turn the Tide in Anaheim
Ottawa seized control early in the contest, stunning the home crowd by building a 3-0 lead through the first period. Philip Tomasino opened the scoring at 6:00, tipping a shot from Thomas Chabot. Claude Giroux then struck on a rush from the right circle at 7:02, and Michael Amadio capitalized on a breakaway at 17:37 to leave the Senators ahead by three.
Ammo on the breakaway is quickly becoming one of our favourite things 🔥#GoSensGo pic.twitter.com/UPVAbmfRXA
Things shifted dramatically in the middle frame as the Ducks clawed back. Judd Caulfield scored twice, rookie Roger McQueen added another, and Leo Carlsson chipped in three assists. Caulfield tied the game 3-3 with just 42 seconds left in the second period, burying a netfront tip off an Olen Luneau point shot during a power play, according to NHL.com reporting.
Senators head coach Travis Green didn’t mince words after the final horn, pointing directly to special teams. Special teams played a big part in the game,
Green said post-game. I liked a lot of our game. If you take the special teams out, I’d be really happy with the game.
HOW 'BOUT THESE DUCKS 🦆Cutter Gauthier scores twice in 36 seconds to complete the hat trick! pic.twitter.com/EQZDDE5Urz
Ottawa captain Thomas Chabot echoed his coach’s assessment of the 5-on-5 play versus the penalty trouble. I thought five-on-five was not bad to be honest. We started great,
Chabot said. Not a good second. And then, I mean — special teams.
Gauthier Takes Over on the Power Play
The Ducks completed their dismantling of Ottawa’s penalty kill early in the third period. Capitalizing on a two-man advantage at 1:50, Gauthier fired a sharp-angled one-timer from below the right circle past goaltender Jonas Johansson to put Anaheim ahead 4-3. Just 36 seconds later, while still on the man advantage, Gauthier struck again from nearly the identical spot to stretch the lead to two.
Commenting on the uneven flow of the contest, Chabot observed regarding the disjointed rhythm of the match. But I mean that’s hockey. Obviously
a
very disappointing loss but we got to turn the page and make sure we’re ready for the next one.
McQueen capped the scoring with the Ducks’ fourth power-play goal at 15:19 of the third, sealing the 6-3 outcome. The collapse drops Ottawa to three losses on a five-game road trip.
Tim Stützle capitalizes off some great passing by the @Senators! pic.twitter.com/skv2xM5aLZ
Brossoit Steps In and History Repeats
Laurent Brossoit earned the victory in his Anaheim debut, stopping 20 shots after being recalled from San Diego of the AHL just a day prior. It marked only his second NHL appearance in three seasons. Obviously, in the first period, they came out hot,
Brossoit admitted. I was thinking it was going to be a long night for me. Made a couple saves in the second and the boys took over from there.
Following a three-goal deficit, the Anaheim club secured a victory by a margin of three goals or more for only the second instance in franchise history, equaling a previous rally against the Hartford Whalers achieved on January 14, 1994. Anaheim looks to carry this momentum on the road against the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday night, while the Senators travel to face the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday.
Click to watch Thomas Chabot, Claude Giroux, and Head Coach Travis Green speak to the media following the #Sens game against the Ducks in Anaheim 📺
More on Cutter Gauthier
Cutter Gauthier scores a hat trick as Ducks rally to defeat Senators https://t.co/20ILzre55p
🚨 Cutter X 2 🚨We take the lead! pic.twitter.com/kZUOF1u1Yc
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