Unusual Suspect

Archived from 2001-02 season.

2002 Playoffs

Darren McCarty made a natural hat trick in the third period as the Detroit Red Wings beat the Colorado Avalanche in the opening game of the Western Conference finals.

"I guess when you only score five during the regular season and haven't scored any in the playoffs, you're due," McCarty said. "Why it happened, who knows? The bottom line is we won. I'll just keep shooting, but by no means am I a goal-scorer. I know my role."

The hat trick was McCarty's first career three-goal effort in playoffs and only second overall with the first coming in an exhibition game.

"We've got the ten or eleven Hall of Fame guys that get it done each night, but when they don't get it done, we have different guys to step up," McCarty said. "Tonight was my night. It's about time, but it's one game. "I'll cherish this for a couple days."

Detroit, which has won nine of its last 10 games, will play host to the defending Stanley Cup champion Avalanche again in Game 2 on Monday.

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