It was Verhaeghe's fourth NHL hat trick and first since April 1, 2023.
“It was nice. I have been shooting it a lot lately, so it feels good to have a couple go in," Verhaeghe said. “Our team is playing really well.”
Sam Reinhart and Matthew Tkachuk each had a goal and an assist, and Aleksander Barkov had three assists for Florida (32-19-3), which has won three straight. Spencer Knight made 31 saves.
Kyle MacLean, Jean-Gabriel Pageau and Marc Gatcomb scored for New York (24-21-7). Jakub Skarek made 27 saves in his NHL debut.
“I felt good, was just trying to focus on the basics and to do that well,” Skarek said. “As the game went on, I felt a little more comfortable with the speed and how the players were playing in different situations. I am definitely grateful for this experience. It’s definitely a night I will not forget.”
The Islanders played without forward Mathew Barzal and defenseman Scott Mayfield, who were each injured in a 3-2 overtime win at the Tampa Bay Lightning on Saturday.
“They’re all beat up, have four defensemen out and their top offensive player,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said of the Islanders. “And they won seven straight just like that: they battled, stayed in games, scored late and competed so very hard. It looked like it was going to happen again tonight."
Verhaeghe scored 39 seconds into the game to give the Panthers a 1-0 lead. He beat Skarek with a backhand in front after the Islanders turned the puck over while trying to clear their zone.