Dylan Coghlan scores historic hat trick for Golden Knights

The “first goal” photo is a rite of passage in the NHL.

It’s a tradition almost every player participates in. Score a goal, pose with the puck, smile. The Golden Knights hadn’t done it this season until Wednesday in Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Rookie defenseman Dylan Coghlan was the happy participant. But instead of holding up one puck, he got to hold up three.

Coghlan’s first NHL goal led to another, then another, as he recorded a hat trick in the Knights’ 4-3 loss to the Minnesota Wild. The result dampened the experience, but it’s still a moment he will remember forever.

“It’s nice to get the first one out of the way,” said Coghlan, who was playing in his 12th game. “I’ve definitely had some chances to score this year and haven’t capitalized. Just nervous or a bad bounce. It was nice to finally get one and to get two more was awesome.”

Coghlan’s hat trick was the first in Knights history for a defenseman. It was the team’s seventh in the regular season and eighth overall.

The fact that it was Coghlan’s first three goals also made it historic.

The 23-year-old is the third defenseman in league history to score his first three goals in the same game. New Jersey’s Uli Hiemer did it Oct. 31, 1984, and Montreal’s Joe Hall on Jan. 21, 1918.

Coghlan is also the 11th player in the past 30 years to score his first three goals in the same game. Chicago rookie Pius Suter was the last to do it on Jan. 24.

“The way he plays, he’s going to score goals,” Knights captain Mark Stone said of Coghlan. “He’s too good of a player.”

The performance was also historic by Coghlan’s own standards. The undrafted player said the last time he scored a hat trick was probably when he was 10. Now, after doing it at the highest level, he’s tied for the Knights’ lead in goals among defensemen with Shea Theodore.

“He has the ability to create offense back there,” coach Pete DeBoer said. “He’s done it his whole life. I thought he came in, did a great job. Really happy for him. I wish he would remember his first NHL hat trick with a win, too. I’m sure he would enjoy it a little bit more.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss:

1. Thompson’s debut

Wednesday was also a special night for Logan Thompson.

The 24-year-old made his NHL debut 8:21 into the third period so Marc-Andre Fleury could rest. Thompson’s appearance came eight months after he signed his entry-level contract and drove from Brandon, Manitoba, to Las Vegas to participate in the Knights’ summer camp. He had played only one game above the ECHL before this season, but he impressed the organization quickly.

Thompson was named the American Hockey League’s goaltender of the month for February and dressed for his first NHL game Feb. 27. He became the eighth goaltender in Knights’ history Wednesday.

It’s been an incredible rise for Thompson, who took the unusual path of playing collegiately in Canada before turning professional.

“It was a chance to get a young guy in the game so if he does get a start down the road, it’s not going to be all brand new for him,” DeBoer said.

2. Early hook

Thompson’s debut will be memorable for the time he spent out of the net as well as in it.

DeBoer pulled Thompson with less than 5:30 remaining and the Knights trailing 4-2. DeBoer said because the teams were skating four-on-four at the time, it was a unique opportunity to create essentially a five-on-four power play.

“Those situations don’t show up very often,” DeBoer said. “Especially with the timing of the game and how far behind we were, obviously. If we were down by a goal, you probably wouldn’t consider doing that. We really had nothing to lose at that point.”

Thompson was sent back into the net with play ongoing when the sides returned to five-on-five. DeBoer said it’s the first time he has done that before a stoppage. Thompson came out again before Coghlan’s third goal made the score 4-3 and was pulled afterward as the Knights pushed for the tie. All told, he was on the bench for 3:24.

3. McNabb returns

Defenseman Brayden McNabb wasted no time making his presence felt in his first game since Jan. 26.

McNabb put a punishing hit on Kyle Rau in the first period that briefly knocked the right wing out of the game. McNabb finished tied for the team lead with three hits and blocked a shot in 16:17 of ice time.

Contact Ben Gotz at bgotz@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BenSGotz on Twitter.