As the Ducks geared up for Wednesday’s hoedown and throwdown with the Nashville Predators, it was Cutter Gauthier preying on opposing goalies.
He was named the NHL’s first star of the week and his may have been the easiest selection in recent memory. He had eight goals, including three game-winners and four on the power play, and 10 points, all after a hat trick and another deciding goal the Sunday prior.
“I’m just shooting the puck, and they’re going in, so I’m just gonna keep shooting it,” Gauthier said.
He has six power-play goals in November alone. In a mere eight days of the month, he exceeded the season total of the Chicago Blackhawks. His 11 goals overall in November are as many or more than 19 of the NHL’s 32 teams scored in those same eight days.
At the conclusion of the week, Gauthier had 10 power-play goals for the campaign. Not only was that two more than any other individual player, but it was equal to the team totals of the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers, and greater than those of Chicago, Ottawa, Washington, Montreal, Buffalo, Columbus and the Islanders. He’s already got the most prolific goal streak in the NHL during 2026-27, which is also tied for its longest.
His 13 goals in his past half-dozen contests are the most in a six-game span since Mario Lemieux’s 14 in 1992-93. Lemieux is one of only five players to score more over a six-match stretch. In that same season, Alexander Mogilny became the last player before Gauthier to turn in three hat tricks in five or fewer appearances. Mogilny did so in four tilts as part of an eight-game spree with 16 goals.
Gauthier isn’t the only superlative performer presently for the Ducks (10-7-1, 21 points). Jackson LaCombe, whose 10-game point streak is the longest for a defenseman in Ducks history, finished the week tied for third place in scoring among all defenders. He has been the leading producer from blue line since Oct. 16. He’s tied for the league lead in assists by a rearguard and tied for third among all skaters, having failed to record a point in only one game this season and coming up with at least one assist on all but two occasions.
Defenseman Tristan Luneau has given glimpses of a future where the Ducks effectively have two No. 1 caliber defensemen. Though he is not technically a rookie, this is his first full season in the NHL after playing no more than seven games in the past three campaigns. His 13 points lead all first-year pros and his total is four points higher than that of any other first-year defenseman.
Gauthier, LaCombe and Luneau are three of the five Ducks with active point streaks of four games or more. Former Predator and current Ducks captain Mikael Granlund and second-year sensation Beckett Sennecke are the other two.
Versus Nashville, the Ducks could be facing the NHL’s third star of the week, goalie Juuse Saros, unless he gets the front end of the Preds’ back-to-back set against the Kings. Saros allowed just two goals last week as the Preds, like the Ducks with 21 points, at 8-4-5, going into Tuesday’s game at Crypto.com Arena, prevailed over defending champion Carolina and division rival St. Louis.
Those victories helped extend Nashville’s winning streak to four games, including triumphs over three of the league’s top five teams by record last season. Captain Roman Josi has 11 points in his past seven games to help fuel Nashville’s surge.
Nashville at Ducks
When: 7 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Honda Center
TV: Prime Video, FOXLA+ (Ch. 13)