Recap: Ehlers' Hat Trick Helps Canes Escape Canucks

VANCOUVER - Nikolaj Ehlers scored his second hat trick of the season to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 6-4 victory over the Vancouver Canucks on Wednesday.

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After waiting nearly 60 minutes for a power play on Monday, an early man-advantage marker from Andrei Svechnikov gave the Canes the lead just 1:17 in. But what had been a dominant opening frame for Carolina took a sharp late turn, with two Vancouver goals in 44 seconds giving the hosts a surprising one-goal lead at the break.

Putting that hiccup behind them, the Hurricanes got right back to work in the second period. Goals from Sean Walker and Ehlers in the first 4:19 restored Carolina's one-goal lead, then a breakaway beauty from Sebastian Aho and Ehlers' second of the night arrived just 53 seconds apart to open up a 5-2 advantage.

Once again, though, mistakes and momentum allowed Vancouver to make things interesting. Trimming the Canes' lead to one with goals on either side of the second intermission, the Canucks' late push led to an empty-net scenario in the waning minutes, when Ehlers completed his trifecta with a game-sealing goal.

Brandon Bussi picked up his 25th win of the season, and ninth in a row, with 18 saves on 22 shots in the Carolina cage.

Stats & Standouts

• Forward Nikolaj Ehlers became the first Hurricane to notch multiple hat tricks this season. The Danish star has now scored five goals in his last four games and is up to 19 on the year, which ranks fourth on the team.
• Ehlers is the first player in team history (since relocation) to post multiple hat tricks in his first season with the team.
• Forward Sebastian Aho became the fourth Finnish player in NHL history to record eight 60-point seasons, Jari Kurri (13), Teemu Selanne (12) and Mikko Rantanen (8).
• Forward Andrei Svechnikov posted two points to reach 417 in his career, surpassing Jeff O'Neill for the seventh-most in franchise history.
• Forward Seth Jarvis logged two assists for his 11th multi-point game of the season, surpassing Shayne Gostisbehere for the third-most on the team.
• Defenseman Sean Walker notched his third multi-point game of the campaign, tying his single-season career high.
• Goaltender Brandon Bussi picked up his 25th career victory faster than any goaltender in NHL history, doing so in 29 games (prev. record: 32 games).
• Bussi is the second goalie in league history with multiple winning streaks of nine or more games in his first season, joining Bill Durnan (MTL, 1943-44).

They Said It...

Rod Brind'Amour summarizing the contest...

"I thought we started out really well, then we kind of put ourselves in a hole a few times, and they were able to capitalize. Then we got ahead, and we thought we were just going to cruise through it. Then they made it interesting. We got two points out of it."

Rod Brind'Amour continuing on nearly letting this one slip away...

"It's one of those games where we were in control early and then let off the gas. Give them credit, they fought back... The game should've been over, and we took the foot off the gas. They made a couple of nice plays. We took penalties and [they had] a five-on-three. These are things that you certainly don't want to be doing if you want to win consistently. We got away with it tonight."

Nikolaj Ehlers on his night...

"I thought I played a terrible game tonight. It's one of those days where they just seem to go in, and I'm not complaining about that, but I've got to be way better."

Brandon Bussi following his 25th win...

"In this league, you just have to find ways to win games. I think I've got better, but it was good enough tonight. The team was really good in front of me, offensively. Putting up six is really nice, so we'll take the positives out of it."

What's Next?

• The Canes are scheduled to practice in Edmonton on Thursday.  They'll start a back-to-back set against Alberta teams versus the Oilers on Friday.
• Next Game: Friday, March 6 at Edmonton | 9:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO
• Next Home Game: Tuesday, March 10 vs. Pittsburgh | 7:00 p.m. ET | FDSNSO | Tickets | Parking