It didn't take long for Mikael Granlund and the Minnesota Wild to find a groove on Friday night.
The Wild, who were hosting the Predators at the Xcel Energy Center, jumped up to a quick 2-1 lead in the first period — thanks to a pair of goals from Granlund.
Then, with less than a minute to go, Granlund lit the lamp a third time to complete the hat trick and secure the 4-2 victory for the Wild, their second straight.
Hatty for Granny! #Mika3l pic.twitter.com/3nN8A7xz8z
— Minnesota Wild (@mnwild) December 30, 2017
Granlund opened up the scoring on Friday night midway through the first period, after catching a pass from Matt Dumba and snapped it past Predator goalie Pekka Rinne.
Granlund scored again just four minutes later, catching a pass in front of the goal on a power play to push the Wild back up 2-1 following a P.K. Subban goal.
Granlund's third goal came with just 52 seconds left on the clock in the game when he caught a pass and slid it into the empty net, completing his second career hat trick.