It’s been a weird week in the hockey world, where there were a lot of hat tricks. There have been enough to force the NHL Twitter page to update how many were scored since the new year on a nightly basis.
It’s not just that 28 hat tricks were scored in 27 days, although that’s a wild stat. It’s also that defensemen, some of whom aren’t known for their scoring, are netting them as well. The question is why this is happening, and with any question like this, there are guesses and theories but no answers.
The Skill Around The League
The easy explanation or the go-to is that the game is more skilled and offensive-minded than in the past. It’s why goals are up, and star players are scoring in bunches. The skill is there, and it’s why goaltending appears to be trending downward, especially since shooters are more accurate and can pick their targets.
The problem with this theory is that it doesn’t explain the sudden surge in hat tricks. Goals have trended upward since 2019-20 and aren’t significantly more this season. There was also a resurgence this month, but not at the start of the season. Presumably, if goals were up, this trend would begin earlier. So, the skill in the game explains it only to a point.
Defensemen Are Taking a Shoot-First Approach
Evan Bouchard scoring a hat trick, as he did in the 6-5 overtime win over the Washington Capitals, isn’t a surprise. He averages 14 goals in a season and has 14 this season, making him one of the best scoring defensemen in the game.
Mattias Ekholm scoring one in the next game is a shock. Ekholm entered the Jan. 26 game against the Anaheim Ducks with three goals on the season and 92 in his 15-year career. He’s a stay-at-home defenseman if there ever was one, and he scored three goals.
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Throw in the Rasmus Dahlin performance for the Buffalo Sabres over the Toronto Maple Leafs, and it’s clear there’s a trend, something that took off this weekend. There’s always the theory that defensemen, like the rest of the game, are more skilled. They are, however, playing with a shoot-first mentality, with Bouchard being the standard in this regard.
This might explain the surge for defensemen because the data backs up their shots from the point. Specifically, coaches want to move the puck from low to high in the offensive zone and fire shots from good angles to get deflections near the net. When a defenseman has an open look at the point, the best play is to fire that puck, especially if someone can get to the rebound or redirect it (so all those fans yelling “SHOOT” aren’t always wrong for doing so).
The Condensed Schedule Plays a Part in Hat Tricks
The other theories are big-picture explanations. The recent trend might be explainable because of the schedule. Teams are playing back-to-back and three in fours because of the Olympic break. It’s left teams exhausted and often running on fumes by the end of a busy stretch.
The NHL has witnessed a few wild games lately. There were a few lopsided results, including an 8-0 and 10-2 game recently. Teams are tired, and the players can check out when a game feels out of reach, only to see it get out of hand.
The condensed schedule and fatigue explain the hat-trick surge. All it takes is for one player to have the hot hand and the energy to make a few plays against a team that isn’t ready. Games can unravel quickly, and it allows players to take advantage and pad their stats.
Will The Hat Trick Trend Continue?
This trend is fun, at least for now. It might become too much of a good thing, like telling a kid who likes ice cream that they must eat a tub of it every night. That’s what the shootout became, going from a novelty to a common occurrence to the point that fans are upset when they happen.
However, so far, the hat tricks are exciting. Maybe they’ll continue as well. However, it’s most likely going to fade away, especially when players return from the break ready for the home stretch. So, enjoy it while you still can!
