Patrick Kane 1st Blackhawks Player Since 1991 with 2 Hat Tricks in 3 Games

Chicago Blackhawks star forward Patrick Kane potted an empty-net goal with just 41 seconds remaining in Wednesday's game against the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The tally made Kane the first Blackhawks player since Brian Noonan in 1991 to record two hat tricks over a three-game span, per ESPN Stats & Info. He scored three of the team's four goals in Wednesday's contest and three of its six last Thursday against the Arizona Coyotes. He added a goal and an assist against the St. Louis Blues on Sunday between the two scoring outbursts, totaling eight points combined over the three-game span.

The 28-year-old winger isn't likely to surpass the career-high 46-goal season he posted in 2015-16, but with 27 goals so far and a maximum of 13 games left, he should surpass his second-highest total of 30 goals from 2009-10. While he doesn't rank among the top forwards in goals this season, Kane does sit second in points (68) thanks to his 41 assists. Only Edmonton Oilers prodigy Connor McDavid has more (72) on the campaign.

Chicago has benefited from Kane's recent surge in scoring, winning five in a row and 10 of its last 11 contests. The stretch has pulled the Blackhawks within three points of the Minnesota Wild for the top spot in the Central Division, though the Wild have two games in hand on them. Chicago hosts the New York Islanders Friday.

Plenty of time remains for the Hawks to retake the top honors in both the division and the Western Conference. Should they move to the top of the standings, it would mark the first time the team has secured the top seed since 2012-13. The Blackhawks have won the Stanley Cup each of the last two occasions they ended the regular season with the best record in the West.