Panthers' Bennett authors 'Gordie Howe Hat Trick'

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Florida Panthers forward Sam Bennett authored the rare "Gordie Howe Hat Trick" in his team's 4-1 win over the Nashville Predators on Tuesday night.

Fresh off a memorable 4 Nations Face-Off tournament, where Bennett scored the game-tying goal for Team Canada in its title-clinching win over the United States in Boston, and also took part in the fight-night opener in which he battled American forward Brady Tkachuk at center ice in Montreal, had a goal, an assist and a fight versus the Predators at Bridgestone Arena.

Bennett, who opened the scoring in the first period with his 19th goal, a power-play tally that was assisted by Sam Reinhart and Aleksander Barkov, squared off Nashville forward Cole Smith in the Predators zone after a scrum in front of the net with 13:45 left in the third period.

"It's a part of the game, standing up for your teammates," Smith said of the fight. "So, yeah, it's part of the game."

Bennett capped off the trick with an assist on Mackie Samoskevich's ninth goal of the season, which concluded the scoring at 15:34 of the final frame.

The headlines are coming at the perfect time for Bennett, 28, who has been to two straight Stanley Cup Finals with Florida, and will head into unrestricted free agency in July. He is in the final year of a deal that carries a salary cap hit of $4.425 million, and the tough-minded forward figures to be in line for a major raise.

The game winner, though, belonged to a newer Panther, prospect Justin Sourdif, promoted from the AHL while some of Florida's forwards, like the injured Matthew Tkachuk, work their way back into the lineup. Sourdif scored his first NHL goal in the second period.

"The thing that I enjoy the most is how happy the bench is when they score. The veteran guys cheer for those kids," Florida coach Paul Maurice said. "That's so important to make them feel comfortable and feel like they are a part of it and belong."

Spencer Knight made 18 saves for the Panthers, and Juuse Saros stopped 21 shots for the Predators. Micheal McCarron scored the lone goal for Nashville.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.