Islanders Anders Lee nest first career hat-trick

567 games. Anders Lee played 567 games before recording his first career hat-trick in the NHL. You'd think a guy with 200 career goals to his name and 29 two-goal games would have at least one career hat trick. That wasn't the case for the New York Islanders captain.

But during game number 568 he finally did it. Although it almost didn't happen for him. Here's a run-through of his historic night, goal-by-goal.

New York Islanders Anders Lee gets elusive hat-trick

Goal number one is scored 13:49 into the second period. So just over halfway through the game. Defenseman Adam Pelech takes the puck deep and drops it off for the captain who rips it through Korpisalo.

The next one is almost a full 20 minutes later. It's 11:57 into the third period and Anthony Beauvillier gets a great point-blank look but Korpisalo makes the stop. Fortunately for Lee, the rebound finds the Islanders captain who manages to bounce it off the scrambling Columbus netminder.

Then the third and final goal of the evening. It didn't look like it would happen. With a late power play for the Isles, it was obvious that Barry Trotz would send out Anders Lee to get that elusive hat-trick. But as the clock wound down it didn't look like it was on the cards.

But, at 19:58 of the third period (exactly 1.6 seconds), the puck breaks to Lee in the slot and Lee's shooters instinct takes over as he tosses the puck into the wide-open net.

Cue the shower of hats at UBS. The captain has his three goals in a single game for the first time in his NHL career. After 29 two-goal games, Anders Lee can join an elite group of snipers like Islanders legend Eric Boulton who, yes, has a hat-trick.