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The month of October has been bookended by hat tricks for the Canucks.

Brock Boeser’s four goals were a natural hat trick to kick off the season against Edmonton and on Halloween Elias Pettersson scored his first hat trick on home ice to help lift the Canucks record to 6-2-1. 

Pettersson knew it was his first one at Rogers Arena and he said it felt “great.”

“Obviously I would want to have it earlier, I’ve had my chances, but it was meant to be today,” Pettersson said.

Head coach Rick Tocchet said they’ll take the win, but they need to tighten up their turnovers. The Canucks had nine giveaways compared to the Predators’ four turnovers.

“We’re happy with the win, obviously that’s now our brand of hockey, it was pretty loose,” Tocchet said, adding “...there’s too many turnovers, too many people diving in.”

Pettersson acknowledged they didn’t play their best overall game, but they were able to fall back on the foundation they’ve built.

“Even if you don’t have your best game, you can lay back to defensive structure and confidence defending ourselves good. I think that’s what won us the game today,” he said.

Quinn Hughes pointed to Thatcher Demko’s stepping up in the crease to help the team pull out the win. Demko stopped 27 of 29 shots he faced, a .931 save percentage.

“He’s always important. He’s our best player and he’s going to have to be the whole year for us… both of them, Casey included, they’ve been great so far and Demmer made some timely saves in the third and second,” Hughes said.

Game Recap

In the first, a Canucks penalty on the Predators breakaway gave Nashville forward Liam Foudy an opportunity to put Nashville on the scoreboard but a misstep on the attempt and Thatcher Demko’s save left the game at 0-0. 

Anthony Beauvillier cycled the puck back to Quinn Hughes to set up his own shot that deflected off Sam Lafferty into the net to put the Canucks up 1-0. The assist made Hughes the second active defenceman to hit 250 points in fewer than 300 games.

Nashville had a couple quick goals in the first to give them a 2-1 advantage at the break.

The Canucks wasted no time to score in the second, Elias Pettersson getting the equalizer just 53 seconds in. Pettersson came down the middle towards the goal and fired from the slot at four-on-four.

After a Nashville power play, the Canucks nearly scored on a delayed penalty, Kuzmenko spun at the left faceoff circle drifting the puck towards the net, Pettersson tried to put it away, but Kevin Lankinen stopped it.

Soon after the Predators took a penalty nearing the end of the second and the Canucks power play went to work. Pettersson received the puck from Kuzmenko on the right side, glided in and went stick side from the dot burying the puck over Lankinen’s shoulder for the go-ahead goal.

In the third period Brock Boeser took a shot from the left side that bounced down after hitting Lankinen’s glove and J.T. Miller jammed it into the net giving the Canucks a 4-2 lead.

Down a couple of goals, the Predators tried for one last push, pulling their goalie for the extra attacker. That tactic didn’t work as Pettersson potted the empty netter for his third of the night.

“We’re definitely having more fun. It’s more fun being this side of .500 so it’s good. Everyone’s happy but we can’t be satisfied we’ve got to continue,” Pettersson said.