Patrick Marleau is in the midst of his 19th NHL season with the San Jose Sharks. He has experienced and accomplished quite a bit over the course of his career, but he had never scored four goals in a single game. That is until Monday night, when he only needed one period to do it.
Heading into the third period of the Sharks-Avalanche contest in Denver, the game was tied 1-1. Then, Marleau lit up the Avs for four goals (including a natural hat trick) in the final frame of regulation. The 37-year-old completely took over the game and essentially gave his Sharks a win single-handedly.
That makes Marleau the first player in the NHL with four goals in the third period of a game since Mario Lemieux did it with the Penguins in 1997. Coincidentally, that's the year that Marleau was drafted into the league.
The veteran Sharks forward headed into the game with a seven-game goal-less drought looming over him. I think it's safe to say he made it rain.
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