Derek Grant records first NHL hat trick

 

Derek Grant (Michael Miller, Wikimedia Commons)

Anaheim Ducks  center Derek Grant of Abbotsford, British Columbia recorded his first career National Hockey League hat trick on Saturday. Grant notched the hat trick in a 4-1 Ducks win at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis against the defending Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues, which leads the Central Division at the moment with 29 points.

Grant scored his first goal of the game at 5:41 of the first period from left winger Nicolas Deslauriers of Lasalle, Quebec. Grant’s first period goal was also the game winning goal. Grant also scored an unassisted shorthanded goal at 7:20 of the second period, which put the Ducks up 3-1 and an empty net goal in the third period with 1:39 left in the game from Canadian Oympic gold medalist Ryan Getzlaf of Regina, Saskatchewan, which put the Ducks up 4-1. Getzlaf won a gold medal for Canada in men’s hockey at the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver and the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. 

Grant’s hat trick could be considered unexpected. That is because prior to Saturday, Grant had only scored twice. In 2019-20 in 21 games, Grant has five goals, three assists, eight points, eight penalty minutes, one shorthanded point, two game winning goals, 33 shots on goal, 131 faceoff wins, seven blocked shots, 11 hits, five takeaways and four giveaways. Grant’s other game winning goal this season came in a 7-4 Ducks win over the Winnipeg Jets on October 29.

The Ducks are currently in fifth place in the Pacific Division. They have a record of 10 wins, nine regulation losses and one loss in extra time for 21 points.

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