Panthers 8, Kraken 3: Verhaeghe and Bennett, Two Hat Tricks

October 17, 2026 - Sunrise - Sam Bennett batted a rebound at 1:05. Carter Verhaeghe scored the next three Florida goals. By 6:02 of the second, Amerant Bank Arena had a natural hat trick, a 4-1 lead, and a building that had already seen Brady Tkachuk do this twice in the last two games.

The Florida Panthers beat the Seattle Kraken 8-3. Florida is 5-2-2, three in a row. Seattle is 5-3-1 after a 3-1-1 road trip. Shots were 37-23 Florida. Niko Mikkola, Frederick Gaudreau, Uvis Balinskis, and Dmitry Kulikov are not seeded on AthX player pages, so those names stay unlinked.

Bennett and Verhaeghe each scored three. The NHL recap said Florida is the first team in league history with natural hat tricks in three straight games, after Brady Tkachuk's in the wins over Columbus and Vancouver. It also said the Panthers had never had two hat tricks in the same game. Matthew Tkachuk had three assists. Brady Tkachuk had two. Sam Reinhart and Mikkola each had a goal and an assist. Jacob Markstrom stopped 20 of 23. Shane Wright, Gaudreau, and Ryker Evans scored for Seattle. Berkly Catton and Kaapo Kakko each had two assists. Joey Daccord stopped 29 of 37.

Three Florida goals that did not bounce out

Bennett's first came off Matthew Tkachuk. Bat, rebound, 1-0. He told NHL.com some nights nothing goes in and some nights everything does, and you stick with it. Wright tied it 1-1 at 4:54, tipping Catton from the slot. That was the last time Seattle was even.

Verhaeghe scored at 17:56 of the first from Sam Reinhart, a slap. He scored again at 19:07 on the power play from Brady Tkachuk and Matthew Tkachuk, a wrist. 3-1 after one. Wright told NHL.com it was not their night, and the two late first-period goals plus two more early in the second were deflating.

The natural hat trick closed at 6:02 of the second. Mikkola wrapped. Verhaeghe finished at the left post. Forty seconds later Mikkola snapped one from above the left circle. 5-1. Verhaeghe told NHL.com sometimes they just come like that, and it feels good to get on the board, especially on the power play.

Bennett made it 6-1 at 13:13, a snap from Brady Tkachuk and Gustav Forsling. Gaudreau answered at 19:05 from Adam Larsson. 6-2 after two.

Reinhart from the slot, Bennett to 400

Seattle took interference 58 seconds into the third. Reinhart one-timed Matthew Tkachuk from the top of the slot at 2:25. 7-2. Evans cut it to 7-3 at 3:49 from Catton and Kakko. Bennett finished the hat trick at 11:14, a one-timer from Balinskis and Kulikov. The NHL recap put him at 400 career points (191 goals, 209 assists in 776 games).

Paul Maurice told NHL.com the speed of Florida's offensive game is coming together. Lane Lambert said Seattle got beat in every area and still took seven of 10 points on the trip. Mackie Samoskevich, traded from Florida in June, got an ovation on the return, both recaps said. Matthew Tkachuk left after a collision with Bennett early in the third. Maurice called it precautionary and said he likely would practice Monday. The NHL recap said Matthew Tkachuk's point streak is eight games (three goals, 11 assists).

Seattle hosts Detroit on Tuesday. Florida visits Ottawa on Wednesday.

AthX Engine on an 8-3 club night

AthX Engine (our projection and scoring system) scored Verhaeghe at 15.50 (three goals, five shots, the power-play bonus). Bennett is 14.90. Matthew Tkachuk is 9.90 on three assists. Reinhart and Mikkola are 8.80. Brady Tkachuk is 8.70. Catton is 6.70. Markstrom's win, 20 saves, and three goals against land at 7.40. Daccord is 2.00.

Florida's team line is 26.60. Seattle's 3-8 is 0.00 at the floor.

Fantasy points measure the box. Price is what traders will pay for a Panthers group that just stacked four hat tricks in three games, and for a Kraken road trip that still took points until Saturday. They are not the same number.

Track Verhaeghe, Bennett, Matthew Tkachuk, and both clubs on the marketplace.

*Sources: AP recap (ESPN), ESPN box score, NHL.com recap, NHL.com scoreboard, ESPN NHL scoreboard. AthX Engine fantasy points scored from NHL gamecenter box 2026020124. Information only; not financial advice.*