Kuz there it is! Andrei Kuzmenko’s Natural Hat Trick Halts the Ducks
Ryan Gurevitz
November 4th, 2022
Last night was Kevin Bieksa night at Rogers Arena as the team celebrated their long-time defenseman’s illustrious career. A Canuck for ten seasons, Bieksa was one of the fiercest competitors the team has ever had. He signed a one-day contract with the Canucks to retire as a Canuck, and after taking one last morning skate with the boys, he delivered a speech that could make anyone run through a brick wall.
After the ceremonial puck drop, the attention shifted towards the task at hand. The Anaheim Ducks rolled into town to face the only team below them in the Pacific division. The Canucks and Ducks came into this game as the teams with the 32nd and 31st-ranked penalty kill in the division, the Canucks were looking to bounce back after an abysmal 5-2 home loss to the Devils, and the Ducks looked to keep it rolling after overcoming the Sharks and Maple Leafs in extra hockey. Vancouver turned to backup Spencer Martin in goal in place of the struggling Thatcher Demko. Anaheim countered with John Gibson, who’s also struggled to start this season, posting a GAA of 4.58 and a .833 save percentage.
Late in the first period, Troy Terry opened the scoring, dancing around a dazed Tyler Myers on the powerplay to put the Ducks up 1-0. Three minutes later, the Canucks answered on a powerplay of their own courtesy of Bo Horvat, who deflected a tricky wrist shot past Gibson with about 30 seconds left to play.
Vancouver took their first lead early in the game on a rebound that fell right to Elias Pettersson, who kicked it onto the blade of his stick and jammed it into an opening in the net. Vancouver followed it up with a great passing play from Conor Garland to JT Miller, who notched just his second 5v5 point of the season to make it 3-1. A late shot from Ryan Strome squeezed past Spencer Martin in the last minute to keep the game close going into the third.
Vancouver answered early in the third, with a fourth-liner-styled goal coming from big-bodied Dakota Joshua, who jammed home a loose puck from close range. 24 seconds later, Kuzmenko found the net and put home a dime from Elias Pettersson to put the Canucks up 5-2 on their second power play goal of the night. It was at this moment that Deja vu set in for the Canucks, as Anaheim roared back with two goals of their own to make it 5-4 with about 6 minutes remaining. With a three-goal lead now reduced to one, Andrei Kuzmenko and the Canucks stayed calm and collected. Kuzmenko netted two goals on his next two shifts to complete his natural hat trick, effectively sending any Ducks fans in Rogers Arena towards the exits as “Bruce, There it is!” chants rained down for the first time this season. A late power play goal from Max Jones couldn’t shift the momentum back in Anaheim’s favour, and Bo Horvat eventually iced the game with an empty net goal to finish the game.
Final score: Vancouver 8 Anaheim 5
Three Stars
3rd- Bo Horvat 2G 1A 6SOG
Horvat played a sound, complete game last night while launching himself into the top 3 in league scoring, tying himself with Sharks defenseman Erik Karlsson with 10 goals. His second consecutive multi-goal game comes as part of his monster run of form as of late.
2nd-Elias Pettersson 1G 4A 8SOG
Pettersson dominated last night, registering 5 points in one of the most remarkable single-game performances of his career. Pettersson now sits in the top 10 in league scoring with 15 points in 11 GP this year.
1st-Andrei Kuzmenko 3G 1A 3SOG 1GWG
Kuzmenko took home the belt last night as he notched his first career hat trick in impressive style. 3 goals in the third period including what would be the game-winning goal in only 16 minutes of ice time. His adjustment to North American hockey has been quite impressive, and he appears to be well on his way to becoming a great top six weapon for the Canucks.