Mitch Marner’s Hat Trick, and Crushing Old Maple Leafs Playoff Numbers

Mitch Marner had 13 goals in nine seasons of playoff hockey with the Toronto Maple Leafs. In just nine games with the Vegas Golden Knights, he has six goals. It’s the kind of production the Golden Knights are loving and is driving Maple Leafs fans crazy.

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A natural hat trick and an assist on Friday popped Marner atop the standings as the points leader of the Stanley Cup Playoffs. When asked what’s going on differently, and how he’s suddenly producing at an offensive clip like few others, he said it’s about sticking to his game and that some of it was just better luck.

“You know, I feel like I just want to go out there and play my game. I feel like I’ve been doing it for a while. I know that people probably think the results weren’t coming in the past, but sometimes that’s just what happens. My mindset has always been to try not to get frustrated. I know it’s always a roller coaster ride—it’s not always going to go your way. Sometimes it will, sometimes it won’t. So I just try to go out there and do the things I do well.”

Not many players can do what Marner does as a playmaker. That was never his issue in Toronto. However, he was criticized for not scoring goals, specifically, timely ones. He’s just not known as a pure goal scorer, and in Toronto, if he wasn’t shooting and trying to score, he was often relying on inconsistent finishers.

With 13 points already, six of them goals, something has changed. He set a great playoff pace, and is bound to break his career best numbers.

What stands out is that he’s taking the puck to the net and shooting from close range, something he didn’t consistently do during the playoffs with the Maple Leafs.

Head coach John Tortorella said that Marner is a cerebral player. He noted that people have criticized Marner’s playoff games before, and that the forward doesn’t care. “He’s a hockey player”, noting he just goes out and does his thing, and his confidence is growing. “I don’t think he listens to it, whether it be good or bad; he’s just a hockey player, so I never worry about how he feels about it.”

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