Blackhawks' Kane has first regular-season hat trick

Chicago Blackhawks forward Patrick Kane got his first regular-season NHL hat trick Friday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Kane scored twice in the second period then into an empty net with 2:12 left in the third for his first hat trick in his 623rd game.

"I have had a couple of important ones in the playoffs, and you probably wouldn't trade them for anything," Kane said. "It is nice to get that first one in the regular season and get it out of the way, so to speak. Tonight I was the beneficiary of some great plays by my teammates."

The three goals gave Kane 28 this season and the NHL lead, two ahead of Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals.

Kane had 26 two-goal games prior to Friday, and had two hat tricks in the Stanley Cup Playoffs (2009, 2013). He has 233 regular-season goals.

Kane scored at 13:07 and on the power play at 17:13 of the second period. He also had an assist and leads the NHL with 67 points.

"It might be my fault that he never had a hat trick because we don’t play him much when we get leads like that," Chicago coach Joel Quenneville said. "I had no clue it was his first hat trick. I would have bet he had more than a handful."

The Blackhawks won 4-1.