Recaps of Thursday’s games feature a hat trick by Hurricanes winger Logan Stankoven, a four-point game by Bruins captain David Pastrnak, and much more.

NHL.COM: Logan Stankoven scored shorthanded, on the power play, and at even strength for his first career NHL hat trick to lead the Carolina Hurricanes to a 7-2 drubbing of the Vancouver Canucks. Sean Walker collected four assists, and Andrei Svechnikov tallied twice for the 3-1-1 Hurricanes. Jake DeBrusk scored both goals for the Canucks, who dropped to 2-3-0.

Carolina Hurricanes center Logan Stankoven (NHL Images)

Boston Bruins captain David Pastrnak scored twice and picked up two assists in a 6-1 victory over the Utah Mammoth. Goaltender Jeremy Swayman made 36 saves, and winger Morgan Geekie had a goal and two assists for the Bruins, who improved to 3-2-0. Jack McBain had the only goal for the 3-2-0 Mammoth.

Dallas Stars winger Mikko Rantanen had a goal and three assists, and Jake Oettinger had a 26-save shutout to blank the Buffalo Sabres 4-0. Wyatt Johnston collected three assists for the Stars (2-2-0). Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen stopped 14 shots for the 2-2-0 Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: This was Oettinger’s second straight shutout, who leads all goalies with at least three games played this season with a .967 save percentage and a 0.67 goals-against average.

The Colorado Avalanche thumped the Calgary Flames 7-3. Cale Makar had two goals and an assist, and Nathan MacKinnon scored and had two assists for the Avalanche (3-1-0). Adam Klapka, Mikael Backlund, and Kevin Bahl replied for the 0-4-0 Flames.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Avalanche forward Logan O’Connor left the team for personal reasons following the sudden death of his father, Myles. My condolences to O’Connor and his family.

Vegas Golden Knights center Jack Eichel scored on a penalty shot and collected an assist as his club overcame a 3-0 deficit to beat the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-3 on a shootout goal by Trevor Connelly. Sergei Bobrovsky kicked out 40 shots for the 2-2-0 Maple Leafs, while the Golden Knights improved to 4-1-0 to lead the Pacific Division with eight points.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Maple Leafs defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson left this game late in the third period following a hit by Golden Knights defenseman Jeremy Lauzon. Before this game, the Golden Knights announced that winger Victor Olofsson is out week-to-week with an undisclosed injury.

The Nashville Predators rallied from a 2-0 deficit for a 5-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Juuse Saros made 32 saves, Ryan O’Reilly scored the winning goal, and Adam Edstrom potted two empty-netters for the Predators (2-1-1). Nick Suzuki and Alex Newhook scored for the Canadiens, who fell to 1-2-1.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: It was a better effort by the Canadiens, but undisciplined penalties and defensive breakdowns remain troublesome early-season issues.

Rookie defenseman Carter Yakemchuk’s third-period goal lifted the Ottawa Senators over the Philadelphia Flyers 2-1. Nick Cousins also scored, and Linus Ullmark turned aside 28 shots for the Senators (3-1-0), who hold first place in the Atlantic Division with six points. Matvei Michkov replied for the 0-3-2 Flyers.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Senators winger William Eklund left this game in the first period with an injured leg. There was no postgame update on his status.

Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman John Carlson scored his first two goals with his new club in a 3-2 victory over the Minnesota Wild. Nikita Kucherov had two assists, and Dennis Hildeby stopped 34 shots for the 3-1-0 Lightning. Quinn Hughes and Blake Coleman scored for the Wild (2-1-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Lightning are tied with the Senators with six points, but the latter holds first place in the division with 12 goals. Wild defenseman Olli Maatta was a late scratch with a lower-body injury.

New York Islanders captain Bo Horvat tallied twice to defeat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1. Logan Stanley had two assists and Ilya Sorokin stopped 22 shots for the Islanders (2-2-0). Frank Nazar scored for the Blackhawks (1-4-0).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Nazar got a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for a blindside hit to Horvat as he scored his second goal. The Isles center left the game and will be reevaluated on Friday.

Defenseman Darnell Nurse’s overtime goal gave the San Jose Sharks a 3-2 win over the St. Louis Blues. Tyler Toffoli had a goal and an assist, and Collin Graf also scored for the 3-1-0 Sharks. Connor McMichael and Dillon Dube scored for the Blues (1-2-1).

IN OTHER NEWS…

ESPN.COM: Mammoth forward Vincent Trocheck downplayed speculation that Team USA’s Men’s Olympic hockey team group chat played a role in U.S. players on Canadian teams, like Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck, requesting trades to American-based NHL teams.

“I think people make it a bigger thing than it is,” Trochek told ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. “Obviously, people want the headlines, but the whole Canada thing or guys wanting out of Canada that are from the U.S., I think it was more situational than anything else.”

SPECTOR’S NOTE: There’s no real evidence that the Team USA group chat played any role in Hellebuyck’s trade request, or directly led to Brady Tkachuk’s trade from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers in June.

Team USA’s gold-medal triumph spurred Hellebuyck to seek a trade to a Stanley Cup contender while he’s still in his prime after 11 seasons with Winnipeg. It’s been 36 years since a Canadian team won the Cup. Tkachuk’s desire to play with his brother Matthew in Florida stretched back to before they were Olympic teammates.

It’s worth noting that Detroit Red Wings center Dylan Larkin’s trade request was also tied to the Team USA group chat. However, his desire to leave Detroit (an American city, last I checked) was because of his frustration about the Red Wings’ decade-long playoff drought. Playing on an Olympic gold-medal team gave Larkin a taste of winning he was missing in his pro career, which he no longer believes he’ll have with the Wings.

THE HOCKEY NEWS: The Seattle Kraken placed defenseman Ryan Lindgren (upper body) on injured reserve.

NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: The Devils placed forward Stefan Noesen on waivers.