Panthers beat Kraken 8-3 as Verhaeghe, Bennett score hat tricks
Carter Verhaeghe’s natural hat trick extended Florida’s NHL-record streak to three consecutive games, while Sam Bennett added three goals of his own.
The Florida Panthers beat the Seattle Kraken 8-3 in Sunrise, Florida, on Saturday, October 17, as Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett each scored a hat trick. Verhaeghe’s three consecutive goals made Florida the first NHL team to record a natural hat trick in three straight games, extending a streak begun by Brady Tkachuk earlier in the week.
How the Panthers built their 8-3 win
Bennett opened the scoring 1 minute, 5 seconds into the game. Seattle’s Freddy Gaudreau answered, but Verhaeghe struck twice in a 71-second span late in the first period to put Florida ahead 3-1. He completed his hat trick in the second period, when his third goal pushed the Panthers’ lead to 4-1, according to the Associated Press.
Bennett added a goal in the second period and another in the third to complete his first three-goal game of the season. Niko Mikkola and Sam Reinhart supplied Florida’s other goals, and Matthew Tkachuk had three assists. Shane Wright and Ryker Evans scored Seattle’s other goals; Kaapo Kakko and Berkly Catton each recorded two assists.
Verhaeghe extends Florida’s natural hat trick streak
A natural hat trick is three consecutive goals by one player without another player scoring between them. Brady Tkachuk had already achieved one in Florida’s wins over Columbus on Tuesday and Vancouver on Thursday. Verhaeghe’s sequence against Seattle extended that run to three games, an NHL first, the Associated Press and The Hockey News reported.
Florida also became only the third NHL team in the past 30 years to have a hat trick of any kind in three consecutive games, according to the Associated Press. With Verhaeghe’s and Bennett’s efforts, the Panthers have four hat tricks across those three games, matching their combined total from the previous three regular seasons.
The game marked former Panthers forward Mackie Samoskevich’s return to Florida with Seattle. He was held without a point in 16 minutes, 40 seconds of ice time, the Associated Press reported. The Kraken are scheduled to host Detroit on Tuesday, while the Panthers are due to visit Ottawa on Wednesday.
Read in depth: Sports
Kevin Durant and Suns owner Mat Ishbia exchange posts over his Phoenix tenure
The Houston Rockets forward objected to Ishbia’s account of the Suns’ 2023 trade for him. Ishbia said he was describing the team’s direction, not blaming Durant.
IllustrationNBA sportsbook partners bar parlays and other bets vulnerable to manipulation
The league and its betting partners have barred several player and game wagers after reviewing markets linked to earlier gambling scandals, according to reports on October 16.
Sources and context
- Verhaeghe, Bennett each get hat tricks in Panthers’ record-setting rout of KrakenAssociated Press, republished by the Sun Sentinel
- Panthers Rout Kraken 8-3 as Verhaeghe and Bennett Record Hat TricksThe Hockey News
AI-assisted article checked against the listed sources. NewsJaws did not conduct interviews or attend the reported events.