Logan Stankoven scored a natural hat trick, including his first career short-handed goal, as the Carolina Hurricanes routed the Vancouver Canucks 7-2 on Thursday night at Lenovo Center in Raleigh. The win gave Carolina its third straight victory and pushed the defending Stanley Cup champions to 3-1-1 on the season.
The Hurricanes broke the game open early, scoring three times in the first 10 minutes. Andrei Svechnikov supplied two of those goals on the power play, less than two-and-a-half minutes apart, while K’Andre Miller added a snap shot goal to make it 3-0 before the period ended. Jake DeBrusk scored both of Vancouver’s goals, and Kevin Lankinen allowed six goals on 18 shots before being pulled after two periods.
Key Moments: Stankoven’s Historic Night
Stankoven’s hat trick stood out not just for the count but for how he got there. He opened his night with a short-handed goal, then added a power-play goal to cap the second-period scoring at 1-6, before closing it out with an even-strength goal with 8:24 remaining. The three-goal game, a first in his career, also pushed Stankoven past 100 career points.
Mark Jankowski also found the net for Carolina, assisted by Jesperi Kotkaniemi, extending the Hurricanes’ lead to 4-0 early in the second period before Vancouver answered. DeBrusk’s first goal, set up by Jonathan Lekkerimaki and Elias Pettersson, got the Canucks on the board at 1-4, but Carolina answered immediately with two more Stankoven goals to close out the second period at 1-6.
Top Performers
Sean Walker finished with four assists to lead all players. Shayne Gostisbehere, Jackson Blake and Taylor Hall each added two assists for Carolina. Pyotr Kochetkov made 18 saves on 20 shots to pick up the win in net.
For Vancouver, DeBrusk’s two goals and Pettersson’s two assists led the way. Lankinen stopped 12 of 18 shots before Leevi Merilainen took over for the third period and made 15 saves.
What It Means
Carolina improved to 3-1-1 and sits second in the Metropolitan Division with seven points, one behind the New York Rangers. Carolina also leads the season series with Vancouver 1-0.
Vancouver fell to 2-3-0 and sits sixth in the Pacific Division with four points. On their six-game road trip, the Canucks managed 20 shots and went 0-for-4 on the power play.
What’s Next
The Hurricanes travel to face the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday night, looking to extend their winning streak to four games. The Canucks continue their road trip with a stop in New Jersey on Saturday, searching for their first win since dropping three straight.
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