Will Cuylle's Game Trending In The Right Direction After Recording First NHL Hat Trick
Danny Wild-Imagn Images The New York Rangers scored a season-high eight goals in their 8-1 win over the Washington Capitals on Sunday night. The overwhelming victory was headlined by Will Cuylle recording his first career NHL hat trick, as he reached the 20-goal benchmark for the second consecutive season. Cuylle went through a difficult offensive stretch for practically the entire month of March, going on a 13-game scoreless drought before finally finding the back of the net on Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens.
The 24-year-old has voiced disappointment in his own play this season, and Mike Sullivan referred to Cuylle’s play as a “mixed bag,” indicating that there have been inconsistencies in Cuylle’s game. In his first two NHL seasons, Cuylle mostly played a bottom-six role, but throughout the 2025-26 campaign, he’s been elevated into a more prominent top-six position, with his minutes increasing from 15:05 to 16:57. Over the Rangers’ most recent stretch of games, Sullivan believes Cuylle is beginning to find his game again and play to his strengths, which is allowing him to create more offense.
“I think it was trending in the right way,” Sullivan said of Cuylle’s game. “He went through a stretch there where he hadn't scored in like 12 games, but we felt like he was getting a lot closer, just getting inside more, going to the net, getting more looks. We think that's when he's at his best.
He's a great athlete, he's big, he's strong, he's fast. I think he's hard to handle. ” On Sunday night, Cuylle had his blueprint all over the game.
He generated a team-high six shots on net and was also active on the physical front, specifically when he laid a big-time hit on Ryan Leonard, followed up by a fight against Jakob Chychrun. Cuylle recorded his first hat trick just one day after Gabe Perreault accomplished the same feat in the Rangers’ 4-1 win over the Detroit Red Wings. “I'm happy for him because I know how hard he's working, so to get rewarded with a hat trick tonight is great,” Sullivan said of Cuylle notching his first NHL hat trick.
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