Taylor Hall Scores First Hat Trick As Carolina Hurricane

As we all expected, the star winger that the Carolina Hurricanes acquired back in January's blockbuster trade is really finding his game as of late and helping lead the team to victories. 

Sunday night, Taylor Hall led the Canes to a 5-2 win over the Anaheim Ducks with his sixth career hat trick and first as a Hurricane. 

Hall, 33, scored all three goals in the third period, first netting a power play goal, then putting home a dagger backhand and then finishing it off with the empty-netter.

"We had a good power play there at the start of the period, fresh ice," Hall said. "We were able to snap it around and we've been working on getting more guys at the net with our PP. So just crashed the net, put it up pretty high, a little close. Then it was 3-2 and [Jack Roslovic] makes a really good play to the middle of the ice in the o-zone and [Jesperi Kotkaniemi[ finds me. Maybe a little high-risk for the time of the game, but those guys can make plays and I think we're really starting to read off of each other. It's fun. Just fun to contribute."

"He was really dynamite," said Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour. "Just felt like every shift he was impactful, all around it. He's been really good since he showed up here, but hadn't quite gotten rewarded for what he's been doing and tonight he did. The one down low, where he stick handled around the netminder, that was a special goal. He had a great game."

Hall has gotten more and more comfortable in Carolina since the January trade from the Chicago Blackhawks and in his last eight games he has five goals and nine points. 

He's heating up at just the right time.

"I think it's really starting to get there," Hall said on his comfort level. "You can say that you're feeling good after 5-10 games, but it's just a lot of reps and it's a lot of reading off of players and knowing. I think all three of our D pairs play different styles too. So just being able to read off of KK, Rosy, who I've been with for the last few games, it's just part of being a hockey player, being an athlete, just letting your brain do the work and you just go play. That's what I'm kind of feeling now. It's really fun to just contribute."

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