Ehlers scores hat trick, Hurricanes hold off Canucks

VANCOUVER – Nikolaj Ehlers scored a hat trick and the Carolina Hurricanes hung on to defeat the Vancouver Canucks 6-4 at Rogers Arena on Wednesday.

Sean Walker, Andrei Svechnikov and Sebastian Aho each had a goal and assist, Seth Jarvis had two assists and Brandon Bussi made 18 saves for the Hurricanes (39-16-6), who bounced back from their 12-game point streak ending in a 2-1 loss at the Seattle Kraken on Monday. 

Carolina has won five of six and is 11-1-2 in its past 14, but Ehlers wasn’t happy the Hurricanes almost blew a 5-2 lead before he completed his second hat trick this season with Carolina and seventh all time into an empty net with 14 seconds left for the 6-4 final. 

“I don't think we love that game; gave up way too many big chances and made Bussi work for it tonight and just didn't play 100 percent our way and the way we need to play,” Ehlers said. “I thought we came out really good, and then they kind of took over and after that, there was a lot of back and forth. So, we got some things we need to clean up.”

Bussi improved to 25-3-1, tied for third in the NHL in wins in his first full season in the League despite playing 10 fewer games than anyone else in the top seven.

“I could have been a little better so that game didn't get to 5-4 and we're hanging on the last minute there but I loved our sacrifice, our ability to buy in, we created a lot of offense, and for the most part we prevented them from getting chances,” Bussi said. “In this League, you just got to find ways to win games, so I think I got it better but it was good enough tonight.”

Filip Hronek had a goal and two assists, Marco Rossi had a goal and an assist and Elias Pettersson had two assists for the Canucks (18-36-7), who were outshot 12-1 over the first nine minutes, have lost six in a row and have two wins in the past 23 games.


“The effort was there today, pretty happy about that,” Hronek said. “But we have to be consistent with this and we have to have that effort for 60. Can't have it for 35 or whatever minutes."

Kevin Lankinen was pulled after four goals on 22 shots 11:53 into the second period. Nikita Tolopilo was beaten by the first shot he saw and made nine saves in relief.

“Maybe he could have had a couple of those but mainly just to change the energy,” coach Adam Foote said. “It didn’t work at first, did it? But the guys, what I liked was the fight they had throughout.” 

Svechnikov put Carolina ahead 1-0 on a power play 1:17 into the game, one-timing a short pass from Jarvis to the inside of the left face-off circle high over Lankinen’s glove.

Rossi made it 1-1 on the power play at 16:31 when his cross-crease pass attempt from left of the net deflected off the stick of defenseman Jaccob Slavin and in between Bussi’s pads.

“They came really hard,” Rossi said of the start. “We just stick together and so I think we finished the first period pretty strong.”

Hronek put the Canucks ahead 2-1 with a one-timer from inside the top of the right face-off circle after a pass from the net by Drew O'Connor that caught Bussi swinging his stick in anticipation of a wraparound and unable to get his blocker back into position.

Walker tied it 2-2 at 2:30 of the second period by skating onto a loose puck at the left dot after a rush chance was broken up and firing back the other way over Lankinen’s glove.

Ehlers put Carolina ahead 3-2 at 4:19 off another rush chance, skating onto a pass from Jordan Staal and quickly firing far side over Lankinen’s glove from the left dot.

Aho made it 4-2 on another rush at 11:53, knocking a Jarvis pass out of the air at the blue line to put himself in alone before lifting a backhand high over Lankinen’s glove.

That ended Lankinen’s night, but Ehlers scored on the first shot on Tolopilo less than a minute later, firing a slap shot off the rush from the left dot past the blocker to make it 5-2 at 12:51.

“I would think it's pretty tough coming in during the game when you've just been sitting and not thinking you're going to play, so every team thinks just shoot a lot,” Ehlers said. 

Brock Boeser converted a backdoor pass from Rossi on a 5-on-3 to make it 5-3 at 19:17. Vancouver finished 2-for-4 on the power play after going 0-for-13 over the previous eight games and 1-for-27 in the past 14 games. It’s just the seventh time all season the Canucks have scored more than one power play goal in a game, and first time in 20 games back to Jan. 2.

“We were moving the puck pretty good today,” Hronek said.


Nils Hoglander scored his first goal in 22 games this season at 6:45 of the third period to make it 5-4, one-timing a cross-ice Pettersson pass past Bussi’s blocker from the left hash mark.

“I just think the game should have been over and we just kind of took the foot off the gas,” coach Rod Brind’Amour said.

Despite taking a penalty with 2:13 left, Vancouver had chances to tie it late, including a nice left shoulder save by Bussi on a high Pettersson shot from the slot, and Ehlers completed his hat trick into an empty net to secure the win. 

“It's always special when you score three goals but at the same time, I'm not too happy about my performance,” Ehlers said. “It's one of those where they just seem to go in and that's great, we won, but I got a bit better than that.”

NOTES: The Hurricanes were 2-for-3 on the power play. … Carolina center Jesperi Kotkaniemi was plus-1 in 10:27 of ice time in his first game back after being scratched the first three games after the Olympics. … Canucks forward Evander Kane missed the game because of illness. … Max Sasson was minus-1 in 11:46 of ice time in his place after being scratched for three straight.