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Kirill Marchenko's hat trick against the Buffalo Sabres stunned fans and analysts alike. The Columbus Blue Jackets forward completed his second career hat trick in 8:07, guiding his club to a 9-4 victory at KeyBank Center.
The highlight of the night occurred with just 11.5 seconds remaining in the first period. With Columbus on the power play, Marchenko strategically positioned himself on the side of the Sabres net.
Johnny Gaudreau skillfully passed Marchenko the puck, who then executed an incredible between-the-legs maneuver that sent the puck soaring past goaltender Devon Levi and into the back of the net.
"Filthy, greasy, absolutely disgusting," one fan said.
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In the second period at 7:37, Marchenko fired a shot from the circle once again, beating Levi to extend the team’s lead. And 18 seconds later, he replicated this success from the same spot, with Yegor Chinakhov providing the assist for both goals.
These two goals scored in succession broke a franchise record for consecutive goals previously held by Cam Atkinson.
Kirill Marchenko's rapid hat trick is second only to Jeff Carter's 3:18 three-goal performance in 2011.
The bold and skillful between-the-legs goal created quite a buzz on social media as fans expressed their astonishment at both its audacity and flawless execution.
Here are some fan reactions:
With this scoring achievement, Marchenko has climbed to the top of the Blue Jackets goal-scoring leaderboard, tied with Boone Jenner at 13 goals for the season.
Kirill Marchenko's take-on between-the-legs goal
Kirill Marchenko shared the story behind his move,, highlighting the dedication and effort he put into practicing it.
“I worked three weeks on this move in practice, on an open net,” Marchenko said.
Marchenko also drew comparisons to legendary player Alex Ovechkin pointing out that great scorers often develop signature moves through practice. He emphasized that hard work is crucial for everyone to achieve success.
“It’s just about work," he added. "For everybody. (Washington’s Alex) Ovechkin scores a lot of goals from the left circle on a one-timer. He’s worked hard on that. For every player, if you work hard, you develop confidence in that situation.”
When asked about the goal in between the defender’s legs, he said:
“In this situation, it’s a little bit of luck for me."
The Colombus Blue Jackets improved to 11-17-5 but are placed last in the Metropolitan Division.
