New York Rangers fans were treated to Gabe Perreault's first career hat trick on Saturday afternoon against Detroit, and a day later were rewarded again when Will Cuylle found the back of the net three times in an 8-1 drubbing of the Washington Capitals. Perreault's hat trick was notable since it came during his first full NHL season, and while this is Cuylle's third year in the league, his performance on Sunday made some history for the organization.
Back to Back Hat Tricks
Perreault and Cuylle's hat tricks were notable this weekend as it was the first time the team has had that occur in consecutive games since 2016, and consecutive days since 1982. The 2016 example saw Matt Puempel record a hat trick on December 29th, and Chris Kreider followed suit the following game played on New Year's Eve. While that is impressive, the 1982 feat is a little more special because it happened on back-to-back calendar days.
On November 20, 1982, Mike Rogers recorded a hat trick in a 6-3 victory against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Rogers spent 316 games with the Rangers, and that season he finished with 29 goals and 76 points in 71 games. The very next night 1980 Olympian Mark Pavelich suited up for the Blueshirts and recorded a hat trick of his own against the Islanders. Pavelich was in the middle of a career-high 37-goal campaign where he also tallied 75 points in 78 games.
Rangers have a chance to make more history later this week
Interestingly enough, Pavelich's Team USA teammate Rob McClanahan also recorded a hat trick of his own a few days later on November 24, 1982. This historical stretch gives the current roster a target to aim for as the season winds down.
We will have to keep an eye on if the Rangers can make history again by tallying a hat trick for a third game in a row on Wednesday vs. the Buffalo Sabres. While the team is currently navigating a period of transition, seeing this level of concentrated production from two younger pillars like Perreault and Cuylle provides some hope that the Letter 2.0 retool can be successful, and move faster than some expected. If someone can find the back of the net three times on Wednesday, they’ll be chasing a scoring streak the franchise hasn’t seen in over 40 years, and in a lost season it doesn't hurt to have a little bit of extra motivation.