Former Oiler Ryan McLeod Makes History

caleb kerney

Thu, Jan 16, 2025, 8:58 a.m.·2 min read

EDMONTON -- They say that you always remember your first.

Hockey players certainly remember the first goal they scored. It becomes a vivid memory that they revisit repeatedly.

It may not have been his first goal, but former Edmonton Oilers forward Ryan McLeod scored a goal last night that he won't soon forget. Actually, he scored three of them.

And he made a little bit of history in the process.

Last night, the Buffalo Sabres defeated the Carolina Hurricanes 4-2. McLeod put the Sabres on his back and propelled them to victory.

The 25-year-old has been put in an elevated position as the team's second-line center. McLeod had Jason Zucker and Tage Thompson on his wings last night, where he collected his first career hat-trick.

He had to play 17 minutes to earn his first-ever hat-trick. The strangest thing about McLeod hitting this milestone is how it happened.

Ryan McLeod with one of the wildest hat trick goals! 🤯#LetsGoBuffalo pic.twitter.com/3vBuLq4ND8
— Buffalo Sabres (@BuffaloSabres) January 16, 2025

The Hurricanes had an empty net and were trying to tie the game. McLeod was speeding down the ice, looking to score off a Thompson shot that hit the post, when Brent Burns hacked his stick as he was shooting.

McLeod's stick then explodes, and Burns falls to the ice, knocking the net out of position. The referee then points to center ice and awards McLeod the empty-net goal.

Per @PR_NHL

Sabres are the first team to score a goal in a full 20-minute period without registering a shot on goal since data became available in the 1965-66 season
— Sportsnet Stats (@SNstats) January 16, 2025

Because Thompson had hit the post and McLeod didn't actually shoot the puck, the Sabres scored a goal despite not registering a single shot on net in the third period. They are the first team to do this since this data was available in 1965-66.

So, McLeod scores his first-ever hat-trick off of an awarded goal. In doing so, he becomes the first player to score a goal in a 20-minute period without taking a single shot on the net.

What a way to score your first career hat-trick.

McLeod won't forget that, not for a long time.

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