SUNRISE — Saturday night against the Seattle Kraken, the Florida Panthers became the first team in NHL history to have a player with a natural hat trick in three straight games.
Brady Tkachuk did it the past two games; Carter Verhaeghe did the honors on Saturday.
Verhaeghe’s three goals — which spanned from late in the first to early in the second — fueled the Panthers to their third straight win, this one 8-3 over the Kraken.
Oh, and Sam Bennett had a hat trick as well.
Hope you brought extras.
Matthew Tkachukhad three assists in the win before leaving late after colliding with Bennett.
The Panthers had not scored first in a game save for the OT winner in the opener at Carolina before Bennett got his first of the season just 65 seconds into the game.
Although the Kraken soon made it 1-1, Florida opened up the scoring floodgates and roared to victory.
It was the second game in the past three that the Panthers scored seven-plus goals after beating the Blue Jackets on Tuesday 7-3.
Verhaeghe scored twice late in the first period to give the Panthers a 3-1 lead going into the second; he scored at 6:02 of that period for his hat trick and a 4-1 lead.
Aside from Verhaeghe and Bennett, the Panthers got a goal and assist from Sam Reinhart and Niko Mikkola.
NOTEBOOK: KRAKEN at PANTHERS
- Matthew Tkachuk extended his point streak to eight games and joined Sasha Barkov as the only Panthers to record at least 10 assists within his first 10 games of a season.
- Matthew and Brady Tkachuk factored on a goal together for the third straight game – the first pair of brothers to do so since Daniel and Henrik Sedin in 2018.
- The Panthers recorded hat tricks in three consecutive games for the first time in franchise history. The only other teams to do so over the last 30 years are the Maple Leafs (2024) and Capitals (2010).
HOW THEY SCORED
- Panthers 1, Kraken 0 (1:05 1st): Sam Bennett knocks down a rebound of a Matthew Tkachuk shot, then sweeps in the loose puck for his first goal of the season.
- Kraken 1, Panthers 1 (4:54 1st): Berkly Catton sends a knuckling centering shot to a hard-charging Shane Wright who knocks it past Jacob Markstrom.
- Panthers 2, Kraken 1 (17:56 1st): Lars Eller and Sam Reinhart dig out a puck in the corner, Reinhart gets it to Carter Verhaeghe for a one-timer from the left circle.
- Panthers 3, Kraken 1 (19:07 1st PP): Brady Tkachuk slices a cross-ice pass near the goal line and gets it Verhaeghe who picks the corner for his second of the period.
- Panthers 4, Kraken 1 (6:02 2nd): Hats for Verhaeghe after he scores from down low after Joey Daccord stops Niko Mikkola on a wraparound attempt.
- Panthers 5, Kraken 1 (6:42 2nd): Mikkola gets his after a loose pucks come to him atop the left circle. He lifted a heavy wrist shot that soared over Daccord who was still on the ice.
- Panthers 6, Kraken 1 (13:13 2nd): Bennett gets his second of the night after getting a cross-ice feed off the rush from Brady Tkachuk.
- Panthers 6, Kraken 2 (19:05 2nd): Freddy Gaudreau drives in and slips one past Markstrom.
- Panthers 7, Kraken 2 (2:25 3rd PP): Matthew got another assist, this time feeding Sam Reinhart for a pretty goal.
- Panthers 7, Kraken 3 (3:49 3rd): Ryker Evans blisters a shot from the point.
FHN’S 3 STARS
- 1. Carter Verhaeghe, Panthers
- 2. Sam Bennett, Panthers
- 3. Matthew Tkachuk, Panthers
ON DECK: GAME No. 10
FLORIDA PANTHERS at OTTAWA SENATORS
- When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Canada Tire Center, Ottawa
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FTL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
- Streaming: Panthers+, ESPN+
- Radio: WQAM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM. Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM, NHL App
- Last Season: Panthers won 3-1
- This Season — At Ottawa: Wednesday; March 18. At Florida: Nov. 25; Jan. 18
- All-time Regular Season Series: Ottawa leads 60-51-6, 3 ties
- Up Next for the Panthers: Thursday at Pittsburgh Penguins, 7
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