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William Karlsson nets first hat trick in Golden Knights history (Video)

Maple Leafs Golden Knights Hockey

Vegas Golden Knights players celebrate after center William Karlsson, right, scored a hat trick against the Toronto Maple Leafs during the third period of an NHL hockey game, Sunday, Dec. 31, 2017, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

AP

In a real surprising development to close out 2017, the Vegas Golden Knights were victorious at T-Mobile Arena as they doubled up the Toronto Maple Leafs 6-3.

In an historic development, the Golden Knights’ victory was powered by the not only the first hat trick of William Karlsson’s NHL career, but the first hat trick in franchise history.

As they’ve done all season long, the Golden Knights made some more history during the win. According to the NHL, their 11 wins in December is the most in a calendar month by a team in its first season. Vegas also extended their winning streak to seven games and now have points in their last 12 (11-0-1). That’s another record for a first-year team.

“We were the guys who didn’t get protected so we had some things in common,” Karlsson said afterward. “I think we came together as a group fairly quickly. We’ve just been clicking from the start.”

The good thing for Karlsson now is that if he’s planning on attending any New Year’s parties tonight he’ll have plenty of hats to distribute.

The Golden Knights end 2017 with a Western Conference-best 26-9-2 record and a 16-2-1 record at home. Simply a remarkable story and a fascinating team to watch over the final three months of the season.

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Sean Leahy is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @Sean_Leahy.