Maple Leafs’ Marner nets hat trick, shootout winner against Kraken

Toronto Maple Leafs winger Mitch Marner scored a hat trick and netted the shootout winner to give his team a 4-3 win against the Seattle Kraken on Thursday.

The 26-year-old entered the game not having scored a goal since Nov. 6 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

It’s Marner’s second career hat trick.

Without a point in his last three outings, Marner had been a focus of attention over the last stretch in Toronto for admittedly sub-par play – along with Auston Matthews – on the Leafs’ top line. 

Head coach Sheldon Keefe split up his dynamic duo ahead of Tuesday’s 2-1 shootout win over Florida, looking for a spark.

Marner opened the scoring in the first period and added his next goal in the second to give Toronto an early 2-0 lead. After Jared McCann and the Kraken answered, Marner would score his third goal of the game on a breakaway.

The Kraken would tie the game 3-3 to force overtime, leading to another shootout for the Maple Leafs. After Matthews beat Kraken goalie Philip Grubauer, Marner would score the winner to give Toronto their second-straight win.

Marner’s three-goal performance was his first since Feb. 26, 2022, at Detroit.

Matthews finished the game with two assists, while Jake McCabe, William Nylander and Conor Timmins added helpers of their own.

Leafs goalie Joseph Woll stopped 37 of 40 shots for his seventh win of the season.

The Maple Leafs were without veteran defenceman Mark Giordano, who is week-to-week with a broken finger.

Toronto will host the Atlantic-division-leading Boston Bruins on Saturday.

With files from Joshua Clipperton of The Canadian Press

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