As if Tomas Hertl's four goal game on Tuesday night wasn't impressive enough, he did it all while playing just a little more than 11 minutes during the Sharks' 9-2 dismantling of the New York Rangers.
Tomas Hertl 4-goal game: He did it in just 11 minutes
Tomas Hertl scored four goals in just his third NHL game on Tuesday night, and he did it while getting just 11 minutes of ice-time.
Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports
Four goal games are pretty rare in the NHL, whether it’s coming from a 19-year-old rookie (like Hertl) or a seasoned All-Star. But a player scoring four goals in a game when he logs less than 12 minutes of ice-time? That’s almost unheard of.
According to the data base at Hockey-Reference.com, there were only two prior examples of a player scoring four goals in a single game while playing fewer than 12 minutes: Jussi Jokinen did it in 2007 as a member of the Dallas Stars (four goals in 11:04) and Michael Nylander did it in 1999 as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks (four goals in 10:41).
(Note: Mark Parrish’s name also shows up on that list, but his ice-time is not listed so I’m not including him)
Hertl joined their ranks on Tuesday, completing the four-goal effort with a truly stunning goal against Martin Biron.
With already six goals in three games it’s a good bet that he’s going to start getting more than 11 minutes in the very near future.
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