Player of the night: Radim Vrbata
Radim Vrbata started the season by going eight games without a goal, but the Florida Panthers forward emphatically snapped that drought on Thursday, recording the hat trick in his team’s 8-3 win over the Anaheim Ducks.
A few hats and a few plastic rats littered the ice after Vrbata’s third goal, as he collected a loose puck and outwaited Reto Berra with a move to the forehand.
That’s the seventh hat trick of Vrbata’s career.
Highlight of the night:
Nikita Kucherov to Steven Stamkos. This goal is a thing of beauty.
Factoid of the night:
Jonathan Quick continued his strong start to the season in net for the L.A. Kings. He stopped all 40 shots he faced Thursday in a shutout victory over the struggling Montreal Canadiens. Oh, and he did so in his 500th career NHL game.
“The guys all knew it was his 500th game, and I told the guys after the game that might be one of the best goaltending performances I’ve ever seen,” said Kings coach John Stevens, per LA Kings Insider.
Scores:
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Cam Tucker is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @CamTucker_Sport.