Top 5: Gavin McKenna, stuck on the bench for half the game

The CH didn't play last night.

But there was plenty of action in the NHL, with 22 teams playing games.

It was a night to remember, featuring a historic natural hat trick and a new assists leader among U.S.-born skaters on a Thursday with 11 games.

From the source #NHLStats: https://t.co/oQaEN3PT3m https://t.co/pdxH8HyIzv

The Leafs hosted the Sabres last night in Toronto.

And they weren't able to win… despite Kirill Marchenko's three goals. The Russian is really hitting his stride with his new team: he's gaining confidence, and things are starting to click with his new teammates:

HERE ARE HIS THREE GOALS!!! https://t.co/8r1K7vuNUj

But… in the Leafs' loss, Marchenko's hat trick isn't what stands out.

What stands out is Gavin McKenna's ice time (6:36)… he didn't see the ice after the second half of the game. No ice time after 10:20 of the second period…

Gavin McKenna was BENCHED and played a career-low 6:36 in Toronto's 5-4 OT loss to Buffalo

Jim Hiller said penalties disrupted his shifts and admitted he should've put him back out early in the third: “That's on me.”

From the source (via @davidalter) https://t.co/QI1hLFFiDn

After the game, Jim Hiller explained the situation, saying it was his decision.

The Leafs found themselves shorthanded a few times in the second period, which meant McKenna didn't see much ice time. And Hiller decided to keep him on the bench for the entire third period because it had been a long time since McKenna had played…

Maple Leafs head coach Jim Hiller on Gavin McKenna's mid-game benching: “That was my decision. We went for a stretch, he sat through the penalties. Now that I've sat him for so long, I probably should've got him out in the third.”

Hiller says he'll talk to McKenna about it.

As you can imagine, this has caused quite a stir and is likely to be the talk of the town in Toronto today.

After all, we're talking about Gavin McKenna…

The Florida Panthers were down by two goals with less than ten minutes left to play.

That's when Brady Tkachuk stepped up.

The younger of the two brothers scored twice late in the third period to force overtime. And you can guess what happened next…

TKACHUK TKA-CHING! https://t.co/ibLJv0WTNj

Brady, who had a rough start in Florida, completed his hat trick—his second in as many games.

He now has six goals and one assist in his last two games. He's on fire… and it's thanks to him that the Panthers were able to beat the Canucks 3-2 last night.

There was Marchenko, there was Tkachuk…

But we can also add Mark Stone to the list of players who scored hat tricks last night. The Knights' captain helped his team beat the Flames 6-2:

3⃣ GOALS IN THE 3⃣RD PERIOD!!! https://t.co/0kCLKdxUDV

Matt Boldy ALSO scored three goals in his team's 5-4 win over the Blues last night. In total, four different players scored three goals on Thursday night in the NHL:

THREE TIMES THE FUN! https://t.co/f9pHJIsKa5

Connor Bedard hadn't scored yet since being named captain of the Blackhawks.

That's now a thing of the past: the Hawks' young prodigy took a pass from Patrick Kane (of course) to score his first goal of the season.

A scene straight out of a Hollywood movie:

From the source CONNOR BEDARD'S FIRST GOAL AS THE @NHLBLACKHAWKS' CAPTAIN

AND PATRICK KANE'S 895TH ASSIST https://t.co/zmTN7q7TdE

The Hawks gave the Jets a run for their money, forcing the game into overtime.

And in overtime, it was Artyom Levshunov who stepped up to secure the win for his team. Well done:

ARTYOM LEVSHUNOV CALLS THE GAME

From the source He buries the winner in @Energizer overtime! https://t.co/gkWlJYL3PR

The towering defenseman's goal must be a huge relief to many in Chicago right now.

We know he has a lot of potential, but he's been struggling to break out in the NHL. And it's especially the fact that Ivan Demidov was drafted after him that's driving some Hawks fans crazy—which is understandable…

The Hughes brothers are good. Very good.

Usually, we talk about Jack's or Quinn's feats… but last night, it was Luke's turn to put on a show.

The Devils defenseman kicked off his night with a goal on a perfect shot…

What a shot by Luke Hughes! https://t.co/09MPp8AZKK

And he then humiliated the Rangers players later in the game by dancing with the puck on the ice.

That goal is worth watching… and rewatching:

LUKE HUGHES IS DANCING OUT THERE https://t.co/MsWRNij4t9

The Devils blew out the Rangers 7-1 and looked like a team on a mission last night.

Will they be able to keep up that pace for their next few games, though? Because we know that's the problem in New Jersey: consistency…

From the source Brandon Hagel snaps home his second of the game to give the @TBLightning the lead! https://t.co/6EuAVaDdfD

WILL SMITH SCORES A BEAUTY https://t.co/13BbSGM27X

– Top scorers of the night: