Toronto Maple Leafs led by Mitch Marner’s offense dominated the Detroit Red Wings (Image Source: Imagn)

Toronto Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube shared his thoughts on Mitch Marner’s natural hat trick. After the team’s 5-2 win over the Detroit Red Wings on Friday, Berube talked to the media and talked about Marner’s role in the game.

Berube talked postgame about Marner scoring goals when needed.

“We need him to come up big and score goals, right? He does it. He had five shots on net tonight. That is the difference for me: He is shooting the puck,” said Berube. “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.”

Marner’s first goal came at 8:16 in the first period, a one-timer off a John Tavares pass. He added another late in the first at 19:28, finishing a William Nylander pass on the power play. His third goal came in the second period, tipping a shot past Cam Talbot at 16:23.

“It is great to get a hat trick, but the first two goals only came because of great passes from my teammates,” Marner said per NHL.com, “I’m just trying to find some quiet ice and take advantage of the chances they are providing.”

Mitch Marner is having a solid 2024-25 season with 13 goals and 36 assists in 36 games. He’s been important in both wins and losses, earning 37 points in 22 wins and 12 points in 14 losses. With 204 goals and 481 assists in 611 career games, Marner continues to be a key player for the Leafs.

Marner has contributed to the Leafs’ offense in captain Auston Matthews’ absence due to injuries this season. Including the Red Wings game, Matthews has missed 12 games this season.

Mitch Marner’s natural hat trick helped Leafs dominate the Red Wings

Mitch Marner scored a natural hat trick to lead the Toronto Maple Leafs to a win over Detroit. David Kampf and Nicholas Robertson also scored for Toronto. Joseph Woll made 23 saves in the win.

Coach Craig Berube praised the team’s defense.

“We spent a lot of time in our own end tonight, but I thought we did a good job protecting the slot and blocking shots. That was the difference in the game,” Berube said.

Toronto took a 1-0 lead with Kampf’s goal. Following this Mitch Marner added three goals. Robertson scored late in the second period. Detroit scored twice in the third, but the Leafs won.

“Everything we did was just a little crisper tonight than it was before the break,” Berube added.

The Maple Leafs face off against the Washington Capitals next on Saturday.