Moulson did become the first Islander to ever record a hat trick in Atlanta against the Thrashers tonight--but he's not the first Islander to do so in Atlanta (despite what the Isles' media guide shows in one place).
Mike Bossy had a hat trick in Atlanta on December 28, 1978. Bossy scored three goals, all in the second period, in a 10-4 Isles win. (It's the first of only two road games in Islander history where they've reached double digits.) It's correct on the all-time hat trick list in the Isles guide, but incorrect on the Atlanta/Calgary page.
Moulson is the second Islander to record a hat trick this season, joining Jeff Tambellini. It's the first time in three seasons that the Isles have had multiple hat tricks in a season; Bergenheim had the only one last year and Guerin the only one in the season before that.
Moulson's three goals were scored consecutively. It's the first natural hat trick for the Islanders since Jason Blake did it at Madison Square Garden on December 19, 2006.
According to numbers compiled by Stats, Inc., Moulson is the 22nd player to score a hat trick this season. All 22 have been in winning efforts for their team.
With their win tonight, the Isles move into 3rd place in the Atlantic, two points ahead of both the Rangers and Flyers. They also moved into eighth place in the East. It's the first time that they have been ahead of the Rangers in the standings in the Gordon era. You have to go back to the morning of January 24, 2008 to find the last time. A Ranger win and Islander loss that evening knotted the teams with 54 points. The Isles had not led the Rangers in points since then.
I'll have more on this win tomorrow.
Forever1940 is the nom de plume of Eric Hornick, statistician on Islander home telecasts since 1982. Visit my blog: forever1940.blogspot.com and follow me on Twitter @ehornick
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