NHL Sees Hat Trick of Hat Tricks

This NHL season has felt like a nightly adrenaline rush. Teams are finding themselves in overtime each week, hat tricks are popping up in every division, and both rising stars and established greats are carrying their clubs in ways that make even a random night of regular season hockey feel like a playoff preview. Scoring is up, drama is constant, and the league has never felt more balanced or more explosive.

With legends such as Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin not slowing down, superstars like Connor McDavid and Nathan MacKinnon at their peaks, and young phenoms like Macklin Celebrini, Connor Bedard and Leo Carlsson already pushing the standard higher, the NHL is truly in a golden age of talent.

And on November 18, 2025, that talent produced one of the most electric nights of the season — a night where three different players recorded hat tricks.

Guentzel Gets It Started in Tampa Bay

The first came from one of the NHL’s most underrated goal-scorers: Jake Guentzel.

The Lightning were without coach Jon Cooper, who missed the game for personal reasons, leaving Jeff Halpern behind the bench. But Guentzel needed no help catching fire. He opened the scoring on a breakaway 11:40 into the first, then doubled the lead midway through the second by redirecting a pass from Darren Raddysh on the power play.

His third goal of the came at 7:48 of the third period, when Nikita Kucherov threaded a perfect cross-ice feed to the left post for Guentzel to shovel home. It was his eighth career hat trick and his third in 99 games as a member of the Lightning.

The power play sparks some life helped by a Jake Guentzel hat trick 🧢 for a home win!@DaveMishkin and the HOFer Phil Esposito had the call on @1025TheBone.#NJDvsTBL pic.twitter.com/fw0jwnWBL9
— Lightning Audio Network (@BoltsRadio) November 19, 2025

Bedard’s Second Career Hat Trick Energizes Chicago

Next came Connor Bedard, who had one of the most complete performances of his young career. With Chicago's captain Nick Foligno out of the lineup, this was also his first time wearing a letter on his jersey.

His first goal was pure brilliance: chasing down a flip-out from Sam Rinzel, then tapping the puck one-handed through Dustin Wolf’s pads. He added his second early in the third, pulling the puck inside Kevin Bahl’s stick before ripping a shot over Wolf’s shoulder. The 20-year-old completed the hat trick with an empty netter in front of 17,518 roaring fans at the United Center.

It was his second hat trick this season and of his career, making him the first player to record multiple hat tricks in the 2025/2026 season.

CONNOR BEDARD GETS HIS SECOND CAREER HAT TRICK 🎩 🎩 🎩 pic.twitter.com/l6lTSzGUhq
— NHL (@NHL) November 19, 2025

Celebrini Caps the Night With an Overtime Masterpiece

The most dramatic hat trick of the three belonged to Macklin Celebrini — a player who was recently compared to Sidney Crosby on Spittin’ Chiclets, and on this night, played like it.

Celebrini scored twice in the first six minutes, finishing a beautiful passing sequence with Will Smith and Philipp Kurashev just 1:47 in, then burning Vitek Vanacek on a breakaway minutes later. Utah clawed back thanks to two JJ Peterka goals, including a late one that forced overtime and set up a rare scene: a player from both teams sitting on a hat trick opportunity.

With 2:09 left in OT — after Utah was called for too many men — Celebrini ripped home the overtime winner, completing the hat trick and lifting San Jose to a victory in storybook fashion. It was his third career hat trick, making him the second player this season with multiple hat tricks. He also became just the fourth teenager in NHL history — joining Gretzky, Lemieux, and Crosby — to reach 30 points in 20 games or fewer, and one of only six players ever with three or more NHL hat tricks as a teenager.

BIG CELLY FOR CELEBRINI 🧢🧢🧢

The @SanJoseSharks forward gets himself a hat trick and the win! pic.twitter.com/I2rHTIEuPD
— NHL (@NHL) November 19, 2025

At just 19 years old, Celebrini is already carving out a place as a Sharks legend, and his potential feels almost limitless. If he continues on this trajectory, then we might be witnessing an all-time great in the making.

Three hat tricks on the same night is rare, but the way each one unfolded made November 18 stand out even more. With big performances coming from both established stars and emerging players on an almost nightly basis, this season has taken on a different feel. The NHL isn’t just in a golden age. It’s in an era where history seems possible almost every night.

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