Two more Panthers collect hat tricks, the Flyers finally win their first game of the season, Connor Hellebuyck’s suspension ends soon, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines

NHL.COM: Florida Panthers forwards Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennett each had hat tricks in an 8-3 drubbing of the Seattle Kraken. Matthew Tkachuk collected three assists for the 5-2-2 Panthers. Shane Wright, Frederick Gaudreau, and Ryker Evans replied for the Kraken (5-3-1).

Florida Panthers winger Carter Verhaeghe (NHL Images)

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Verhaeghe had a natural hat trick, making the Panthers the first team in NHL history with natural hat tricks in three consecutive games, after Brady Tkachuk record natural hat tricks in the Panthers’ previous two games.

Edmonton Oilers captain Connor McDavid scored two goals and collected three assists to lead his club over the Utah Mammoth 6-2. Tristan Jarry made 26 saves, and Leon Draisaitl had a goal and an assist for the 6-1-1 Oilers. John Marino and Mikhail Sergachev scored for the Mammoth, who remain in first place in the Central Division (6-3-0) with 12 points.

Former Winnipeg Jets winger Nikolaj Ehlers snapped a 2-2 tie to lift the Carolina Hurricanes over his old club by a score of 3-2. Mark Jankowski extended his goal streak to seven games, and Shayne Gostisbehere had two assists for the Hurricanes (7-1-1) to stretch their win streak to seven games. They also hold first place in the Eastern Conference with 15 points. Mark Scheifele and Alex Iafallo replied for the Jets (4-2-2).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Following this game, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported that multiple sources said Connor Hellebuyck had informed the Jets before their first game of the season (Oct. 2) that he intended to report to the team.

The 33-year-old goaltender went public with his trade request in August. He had not received permission from the Jets to stay away from training camp, allowing the club to suspend him without pay for a “reasonable” length of time. According to Friedman’s sources, the end date for the suspension is Friday, Oct. 23.

Hellebuyck can rejoin the Jets on that date. Friedman suggested the possibility of the club paying him to stay home, but he doesn’t think that’s what anyone wants.

Jets captain Adam Lowry was asked about the possibility of Hellebuyck returning to the lineup. “I think if he does show up, there’s going to have to be conversations; there’s gonna have to be one of those ‘water under the bridge things’,” Lowry said.

The Jets exceeded expectations with Hellebuyck, with a 4-2-2 record. There will be concerns about whether his potential return upsets team chemistry. They’ll want to ensure Hellebuyck is coming back to help the team, not just to hasten a trade or to resume his payments.

The Philadelphia Flyers won their first game of the season by holding off the Ottawa Senators 3-1. Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov each had a goal and an assist, and Dan Vladar stopped 25 shots for the 1-6-3 Flyers. Drake Batherson scored for the 6-3-0 Senators.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Flyers’ victory leaves the Los Angeles Kings as this season’s only team without a win (0-4-2). Flyers winger Owen Tippett missed this game with an upper-body injury. Senators captain Thomas Chabot left this game after the second period with an upper-body injury.

Speaking of the Kings, they dropped a 4-1 decision to the Boston Bruins. The Bruins got four unanswered goals from David Pastrnak, Marat Khusnutdinov, Elias Lindholm, and JJ Peterka to improve to 7-2-0, leaving them in first place in the Atlantic Division with 14 points. Alex Laferriere scored for the Kings.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Bruins center Pavel Zacha missed this game with an upper-body injury. Defenseman Nikita Zadorov was a healthy scratch.

Montreal Canadiens winger Cole Caufield scored twice, including the winner in overtime, to nip the Buffalo Sabres 4-3. Juraj Slafkovsky and Alexandre Carrier each had two assists as the Canadiens improved to 4-3-1. Josh Norris, Jack Quinn, and Tage Thompson scored for the 4-3-2 Sabres.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Forward Oliver Kapanen and defenseman David Reinbacher made their season debut for the Canadiens.

Tampa Bay Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov tallied twice to rally his club from a 2-0 deficit to a 4-2 win over the Vancouver Canucks. Brayden Point had two assists and Jake Guentzel a goal and an assist for the Lightning (6-2-0) as they extended their home win streak to five games. Linus Karlsson and Elias Pettersson scored for the Canucks (2-7-1) as their winless skid reached seven games (0-6-1).

The Washington Capitals scored four straight goals to double up the New Jersey Devils 4-2. Boone Jenner scored for the fourth time in five games, Vincent Desharnais collected two assists, and Logan Thompson stopped 29 shots for the 5-3-0 Capitals. Arseny Gritsyuk had a goal and an assist for the Devils, who slipped to 4-4-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Capitals placed center Pierre-Luc Dubois (illness) on injured reserve.

New York Islanders captain Bo Horvat had a goal and an assist to lead his club to a 4-1 victory over the Toronto Maple Leafs. Ilya Sorokin stopped 28 shots, and Simon Holmstrom scored twice for the 4-3-1 Islanders. Colton Sissons replied for the Maple Leafs as they slipped to 3-4-2.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Islanders forwards Calum Ritchie and Matias Maccelli left this game with lower-body injuries. Before this game, the Maple Leafs announced center John Tavares is week-to-week with a lower-body injury.

A shootout goal by Lucas Raymond gave the Detroit Red Wings a 4-3 win over the San Jose Sharks. Alex DeBrincat scored the tying goal, Emmitt Finnie had a goal and an assist, and John Gibson made 31 saves for the Red Wings, who improved to 3-3-2. Macklin Celebrini had a goal and two assists for the Sharks (4-3-1).

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Before this game, the Red Wings placed defenseman Jacob Bernard-Docker on waivers.

The Columbus Blue Jackets beat the New York Rangers 1-0 on an overtime goal by Kent Johnson. Jet Greaves turned in a 29-save shutout for the Blue Jackets (3-3-0). Dylan Garand stopped 28 shots for the 6-3-1 Rangers.

Dallas Stars winger Arttu Hyry scored twice for his first NHL multipoint game in a 4-0 win over the Chicago Blackhawks. Jake Oettinger had a 19-save shutout, and Jason Robertson had a goal and an assist for the 4-3-1 Stars. Spencer Knight made 28 saves for the Blackhawks, who dropped to 3-6-0.

SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stars general manager Jim Nill said he hopes to open contract extension talks with Robertson in December. The winger is on a one-year, $12 million contract and is eligible to become an unrestricted free agent in July. Center Wyatt Johnston returned to the Stars’ lineup after missing the last two games with an illness.

Nashville Predators winger Filip Forsberg had a goal and an assist in a 5-2 victory over the St. Louis Blues. Steven Stamkos, Roman Josi, and Adam Wilsby each collected two assists for the Predators (3-2-3). Philip Broberg and Jimmy Snuggerud scored for the Blues as they dropped to 3-4-1.

Vegas Golden Knights captain Mark Stone had a goal and two assists as his club thumped the Pittsburgh Penguins 6-2. Jack Eichel, Mitch Marner, and Trevor Connelly each had two points for the league-leading Golden Knights (8-2-0, 16 points). Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin replied for the 3-5-1 Penguins, who’ve dropped three straight games.