Kirill Marchenko turned his 300th NHL appearance into a personal highlight reel Thursday, scoring a hat trick for the Toronto Maple Leafs against the Buffalo Sabres in only his eighth game with the club.
A milestone night in Toronto
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Marchenko opened the scoring outburst in the first period with a between-the-legs finish that will stand as the signature play of his milestone game.
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Working his way from the left corner into the slot, Marchenko received a John Tavares pass with his back facing the Buffalo net. He spun around, pulled the puck between his legs and reached back with his stick to lift it into the upper-right side of the goal.
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He struck again from the left circle, beating the goaltender with a clean shot for his second goal of the night.
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Marchenko completed the hat trick by converting a sharp feed from Colton Sissons, who set him up from behind the net.
Fast start after the trade
The three-goal performance came early in Marchenko’s Toronto tenure. The forward spent four seasons with the Columbus Blue Jackets before a September trade sent him to the Maple Leafs, and the Buffalo game was his eighth in a Toronto sweater.
For Marchenko, game No. 300 brought the kind of finish players remember: a milestone shift, a dazzling first-period goal and three pucks in the net.
