DALLAS _ Two days before the Stars' 4-0 win over the Avalanche on Thursday night, Alexander Radulov was reduced to a spectator. He couldn't help Dallas beat the Rangers, he couldn't chip in during a playoff push, he couldn't play at all.
Instead, Radulov was a scratch because he was late to morning skate. The Stars were forced to play without their second-leading scorer because of his tardiness, and were ultimately unharmed by his lateness.
On Thursday, he tried his best to atone. Then he made the American Airlines Center rain hats.
Radulov scored three goals in the Stars' win, the team's fourth straight victory and an especially important one over division foe and fellow playoff hopeful Colorado. Jamie Benn also scored for Dallas, and goaltender Ben Bishop posted his fifth shutout of the season.
"It's always nice to bounce back and have a game like that," Radulov said. "Like I said, you just have to do the little things to help your team to win. When you get a chance to score a goal, it's always nice. But the most important thing is we win at home, get a shutout for Bish. He was there for us. The PK guys, everybody was outstanding today. So let's just keep it rolling."
It was Radulov's first hat trick of his career, and the Stars' second in the last week. Jamie Benn also had a hat trick in St. Louis on Saturday night.
Radulov has undoubtedly been one of the best players for the Stars this season, and his 20 goals rank only behind Tyler Seguin and Benn despite missing 12 games. He's ferocious if sometimes undisciplined on the forecheck and possesses and lethal wrist shot. His offensive prowess is why he is such a dangerous player for the Stars, even if headaches like Tuesday happen.
"We're all human," Radulov said. "I just overslept and came a little bit late (for) the time I was supposed to be here. The rules are rules for everybody. I think it's in the past. We're done. I'll deal with it and it's OK."
On his first goal, he deflected home a Benn pass with less than four minutes remaining in the first period. On his second goal, he uncorked a trademark, leg-lifting, sizzling wrist shot from the top of the right circle, clinking the far post and beating Semyon Varlamov. He finished his hat trick with an empty-net goal with 2:58 left in the third period.
It was the perfect on-ice response for Radulov, who hadn't had a multi-goal game since Dec. 29.
