VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Elias Pettersson authored a hat trick Tuesday night, leading the Vancouver Canucks to a 5-2 victory over the Nashville Predators at Rogers Arena.
It was the second career hat trick for Pettersson, and first since January of 2019. It was also the sixth multi-point game of the season for the scnter, which leads the NHL.
Sam Lafferty and J.T. Miller also scored for Vancouver, and Thatcher Demko stopped 24 of 26 shots in the win.
Colton Sissons and Dante Fabbro scored for Nashville. Kevin Lankinen stopped 22 of the 26 shots he faced.
Pettersson’s second goal of the game came on a wrist shot at 16:38 and gave the Canucks a 3-2 lead. The 24-year-old forward from Sweden completed his hat trick with under three minutes remaining in the game.
Nashville had tied and taken the lead in the first period on goals from Sissons and Fabbro.
Pettersson tied the game at the start of the second period for Vancouver. After Canucks captain Quinn Hughes slid the puck across, Pettersson cut in front of the net and fired a wrist shot past Lankinen.
Lafferty opened the scoring after a shot from the point by Hughes found its way through a crowd and bounced off the fourth-line forward at 13:45 of the first.
The Predators responded quickly after Hughes gave the puck away and Demko went for a poke check only for Nashville forward Liam Foudy to move around him, allowing Sissons to score his fifth goal of the season.
Nashville grabbed the lead three minutes later after a long shot from Fabbro made its way through a crowd of bodies and beat Demko.
The Predators had the best opportunity to open the scoring in the first period after the Canucks were called for a slash on Foudy at the start of a three-on-one, leading to a penalty shot.
But Foudy slipped during the attempt and, when he got back to his knees, his shot went wide of Demko’s net.
According to ESPN Stats & Information research, Pettersson’s multi-point games total is the second most by any Canuck in the team’s first nine games. Tony Tanti had seven in 1983-84.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.