Knight scores hat trick as U.S. routs Canada in Game 2 of Rivalry Series

It took a mere two exhibition games in Hilary Knight's lead up to what will be her fifth and final Winter Games for the face of U.S. women's hockey to show she hasn't lost her scoring touch.

"I didn't know I did," Knight said with a laugh following her three-goal outing in a 6-1 rout of Canada and a 2-0 lead in the women's hockey Rivalry Series on Saturday night in Buffalo

At 36, the team captain and Team USA's most decorated female player certainly didn't look old or out of place since going public in May to announce this will be her final Olympics. And Knight did so following a PWHL season in which she finished tied for the league lead with 29 points in 30 games.

Hilary Knight's hat trick leads U.S. past Canada for 2nd straight win in Rivalry Series

On Saturday, Knight's first two goals came from familiar spots in front of the net, before closing with an empty-net goal.

Knight's outburst came on the heels of Abbey Murphy scoring a natural hat trick in a 4-1 series-opening win between the cross-border rivals and global powers at Cleveland on Thursday. And it provided yet another glimpse of the depth of offensive talent the Americans have heading into the Milan Cortina Games in February.

"I told [Murphy] that she set the bar pretty high," Knight said, before deferring much of the credit to her teammates. "I love how we showed up. We've been working like dogs since August and to get rewarded for our work and see situations that we need to work on. But I think overall, it was a great team win."

Laila Edwards had a goal and two assists, while Kelly Pannek and Hayley Scamurra, in her Buffalo homecoming, also scored for the Americans. Team USA's projected backup Gwyneth Philips stopped 29 shots.

Canadian captain Marie-Philip