“Magic Marns” “He will be there on playoff”: NHL fans react as Mitch Marner scores hat trick in 5-2 win over Red Wings

Toronto Maple Leafs fans were ecstatic Friday night as star forward Mitch Marner scored a hat-trick to lead the Leafs to a dominating 5-2 victory over the Detroit Red Wings.

Playing at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit, Marner stole the show by netting three goals in the first two periods, helping the Leafs jump out to an insurmountable 5-0 lead as Marner scored his second hat-trick in Detroit.

Social media flooded with praising Marner's performance, with one fan tweeting,

“Magic Marns”

Another wrote:

“He will be there on playoff,” noting last season's poor playoffs performance.

Here are some more fan reactions:

"Him doing this while i’m at work is so cruel im so proud of him," one fan wrote.

"Mitch must have had an extra special Christmas if you know what I mean," another fan wrote.

"Leafs fans now: Marner is the greatest player EVER !! Leafs fans in the playoffs against Florida: F**king Marner is just a regular season player who is soft as fuck, doesn't play Defense, and disappears in the playoffs !! Blow it all the fuck up, these guys can't win a CUP !!," a user wrote.

"Mitch Marner, sensation hatty. Woll, good performance (regardless of the 2 stinkers). On to the Washington Capitals on Saturday Night," another fan wrote.

While Marner's hat-trick stole the headlines, the Leafs also got goals from David Kampf and Nick Robertson in the rout, while Joseph Woll made 23 saves for the victory.

Simon Edvinsson and Lucas Raymond scored for the Red Wings. Cam Talbot allowed five goals in 21 shots, replaced by Alex Lyon who stopped two shots in relief.

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Leafs HC Craig Berube on Mitch Marner’s hat-trick

Toronto Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube praised Mitch Marner's hat-trick performance in the win over the Detroit Red Wings. Berube emphasized the importance of Marner shooting more often:

"He has a good shot and can score goals. He is a great playmaker, but there are times when we need him to shoot, too," Berube said (per NHL.com)

Mitch Marner tallied three goals on five shots against Detroit, proving his scoring touch when he opts to fire the puck on net.

"We need him to come up big and score goals, right? He does it," Berube said.

The coach was also pleased with his team's defensive efforts on the win.

"I thought (Detroit) came hard. We checked well tonight.We spent a lot of time in our own end tonight, but I thought for the most part. We did a really good job protecting the slot and blocking shots with good sticks,” he remarked.

The Leafs next face the Washington Capitals on Saturday night at Scotiabank Arena.