4. January 31, 2010 vs. Colorado
Marian Gaborik’s first hat trick as a New York Ranger was capped off by a goal emblematic of his elite skills. Gaborik’s first two goals were a beautiful snipe through a screen, low-blocker, and a tic-tac-toe backdoor play with Vinny Prospal in the second period.
Once again, it was Prospal who set up the hat trick goal. After coming out of the penalty box, Prospal made a heads-up play near his own blue line to find Gaborik all alone behind the defense. Gaborik used his incredible speed and wicked release to beat Craig Anderson up high for his 33rd goal of the season.
His first hat trick as a Ranger, with highlight-reel-worthy tallies as the first and third goals, was just a hint of things to come.
And the little spill and slide into the boards after scoring was something that came to be a common sight after he came barreling down the ice in years afterward.