Carter Verhaeghe named NHL’s Third Star of the Week

It was a particularly “swag-tastic” week in South Florida.

After helping the Florida Panthers to a 2-0-1 record with five points (4G, 1A) in three games, new dad Carter Verhaeghe is the NHL’s Third Star of the Week for the week ending Dec. 7.

The other stars were New York Islanders goaltender Ilya Sorokin (First Star) and Dallas Stars goaltender Jake Oettinger (Second Star).

Returning to the lineup after missing one game to welcome his new son, Rory, into the world, Verhaeghe began his week by scoring one goal in a 2-1 overtime loss to the Nashville. Predators on Thursday.

“It was special,” he said of the goal. “I just think it’s cool to be a dad.”

Carrying that scoring momentum into the next matchup, Verhaeghe then racked up two goals and an assist to help leads the Panthers to a wild 7-6 overtime win over the Columbus Blue Jackets on Saturday.

Closing out the week, the silky-smooth sniper scored the game-winning goal in Sunday’s 4-1 win over the New York Islanders.

Overall, Verhaeghe’s four goals were tied for the most in the NHL last week.

“When he’s getting chances, he’s putting them in the net, which is great,” teammate Seth Jones said of Verhaeghe. “It all starts with him – his speed, his forecheck, his hitting ability and his playmaking. He’s a catalyst of our team. When he’s playing well, we play well.”

Catching fire, Verhaeghe has scored six goals in his last six games.