The Florida Panthers lost to the Buffalo Sabres on Monday before embarking on a historic scoring spree that landed several players in the NHL record books. On Saturday against the Seattle Kraken, the Cats erupted for a season-high eight goals in an 8-3 victory, thanks in part to Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett. Meanwhile, Jacob Markström returned to the crease and made 20 saves to improve to 3-1-1.
Claw: Carter Verhaeghe
After watching Brady Tkachuk score back-to-back natural hat tricks, Carter Verhaeghe got in on the act, scoring three straight against the Kraken to make the Panthers the first team in NHL history to have a player record a natural hat trick in three consecutive games. It was Verhaeghe's fifth career hat trick, fourth with the Panthers, and first since Feb. 2, 2025.
Claw: Sam Bennett
Sam Bennett entered Saturday's game searching for his first goal of the season. He tallied the game’s first goal and had another one in the second and third to record his fourth career hat trick and first since Jan. 14, 2022. When Bennett completed his hat trick, he and Verhaeghe became the first teammates in Panthers history to record hat tricks in the same game.
Claw: Panthers power play
Before the week started on Monday, Florida had just one goal on the power play. However, things took a turn on Monday in Buffalo. The Cats went 2-for-4 against the Sabres and then were 4-for-6 against Columbus before failing to capitalize on two chances against Vancouver. For a team that was once 1-for-28 on the man advantage, this week alone they were 6-for-12, before tacking on another two against Seattle on Saturday. After their latest victory, the Panthers are now 9-for-43 on the power play, improving their success rate to 20.9%.
Claw: Jacob Markström
Markström left Monday’s game with “tightness” and didn’t skate in the Panthers’ two other games during the week. He returned Saturday against Seattle, making 20 saves to earn his third victory of the season. At 36, it is important for the Panthers to let him take all the time he needs to be back at 100% because they need him for important games down the stretch. There could have been a cause for concern that with a bunch of time off, he’d be rusty, but he barely felt any pressure from the Kraken, so his .870 SV% isn’t a reflection of poor play.
Flaw: No four-goal games
Verhaeghe was the last Panthers player to score four goals in a game, back in 2023, and fans at Amerant Bank Arena were certainly hoping he or Bennett would accomplish the feat Saturday. Considering the 2026-27 season is only 10 games old, there are still 74 games left for the next Florida player to record four goals in a game, which could come as early as Tuesday in Ottawa.
What’s next for the Panthers?
The Panthers head to Canada on Tuesday for a matchup against Brady Tkachuk's former team, the Ottawa Senators, who have an undefeated Linus Ullmark in net. Immediately following their visit to Canada’s capital, Florida will stop in Pittsburgh to challenge Sidney Crosby and the Penguins on Wednesday night.
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