Starting goaltender Roberto Luongo (nine saves) sustained a lower-body injury in the first period and was replaced by James Reimer, who made 26 saves.
Luongo missed almost a month after he sustained a knee injury in the Panthers season opener on Oct. 6. There was no update on his condition after the game.
Martinook scored with 38 seconds remaining in the first period to give the Hurricanes a 1-0 lead. Luongo stopped the initial shot and a rebound from Wallmark, but Martinook jumped on the rebound in the crease.
"I was a little mad at myself when I didn't score first but when I turned back, Martinook came with a lot of speed," Wallmark said. "It was really fun to see the puck go in. It was a really big goal for us."
Luongo left the game after the goal.
Martinook made it 2-0 at 7:31 of the third period. After Hurricanes forward Andrei Svechnikov (two assists) forced a turnover, Wallmark fed Martinook in the slot for his second of the game.
The Panthers cut the lead to 3-1 at 14:04 when defenseman Mike Matheson sent forward Troy Brouwer on a short breakaway. It was Brouwer's fourth goal in seven games.
"I thought we had some good opportunities to take over the game, but we weren't able to do it," Brouwer said. "[McElhinney] is a good goalie and made some big saves tonight."
Martinook's empty-net goal completed the hat trick with two minutes remaining.
"Especially playing with [Wallmark and Svechnikov] and the chances we create, I think I can keep it going," Martinook said. "I don't want to pump myself up too much, but I think it's there. I'm just a guy who goes out and works hard. If [the goals] come, they come. I'm happy watching other guys too. I just want to win. If I can jump in, that's good."
McElhinney's best save came at 12:09 of the second period when he gloved a wrist shot from forward Nick Bjugstad in the low slot. Prior to starting the past three games, McElhinney had made one start in 28 days, allowing three goals in a 4-1 loss at the St. Louis Blues on Nov. 6.
"When I was sitting in the stands for a few games, it was tough to come back and jump into practice and play the game in St. Louis the next night," McElhinney said. "Ever since then, I've felt pretty good. For me, it's more practice than anything. To get the games in and get the rhythm going is just an added bonus."
