Bennett hits 4 as Flames rout Panthers

CALGARY — Sam Bennett saw it as a step in the right direction. It was also a step into history. The 19-year-old Bennett had a first-period hat trick and became the third youngest player in NHL history to score four goals in a game and the Calgary Flames beat the Panthers 6-0  Wednesday to give Florida its first regulation loss in 14 games. “It’s a great feeling,” said Bennett, who has 10 goals this season. “It’s big for my confidence. I knew I felt confident playing in this league and now I think I took another step in the right direction.” Jack Hamilton (Toronto, 1943-44) and Bobby Carpenter (Washington, 1981-82) are the only two players to score four times in a game at age 18, Elias Sports told The Canadian Press. “Wow,” exclaimed Flames coach Bob Hartley. “Right from the start of the game, he was flying out there. Very happy for him, a great performance, he played well. Here’s a young kid that was working so hard, it’s nice to see that he’s getting rewarded.” Bennett is the first Flames player to score four goals in a game since Jarome Iginla on Feb. 23, 2003, according to the NHL. At 19 years and six months, he’s the youngest Flame to get a hat trick. Bennett had not had a goal in 47 days when he scored Monday against San Jose. Immediately after the goal, his first in 19 games, he made a gesture of removing a monkey off his back. He wasted little time scoring in this one, one-timing a set-up from Jiri Hudler past Roberto Luongo just 56 seconds in. Mikael Backlund centered the line between Bennett and Hudler and was impressed by how Bennett stayed positive during his goal-less stretch. Johnny Gaudreau and Mason Raymond also scored, and Jonas Hiller made 15 saves. Florida had been the NHL’s hottest team, going 12-0-1 since losing in regulation to Boston on Dec. 12. Playing their fifth game in nine days, the Panthers ran out of gas and were outshot 36-15. Ducks 4, Senators 1 Shea Theodore put Anaheim ahead late in the third period with his first NHL goal, Frederik Andersen made 24 saves and the Ducks beat the Ottawa Senators 4-1. Andrew Cogliano, Carl Hagelin and Jakob Silfverberg also scored. This was Andersen’s first start since Jan. 1 and gave Anaheim its third win in five games. Theodore scored on the power play, taking a pass from Ryan Getzlaf and putting a wrist shot under Craig Anderson’s right armpit. Hagelin and Silfverberg scored soon afterward to finally give an Anaheim offense that has struggled for much of the season some breathing room. Curtis Lazar scored for Ottawa, and Anderson turned away 34 shots. Blue Jackets 3, Maple Leafs 1 Rookie goaltender Joonas Korpisalo stopped 41 shots to earn his second win of the season as the Columbus Blue Jackets defeated the Toronto Maple Leafs 3-1. The 21-year-old was playing in only his seventh NHL game. His other win came Dec. 19 against the Philadelphia Flyers. The native of Finland was the third pick by Columbus (62nd overall) in the 2012 draft. Flyers 3, Bruins 2 The Philadelphia Flyers rallied from a 2-1 deficit midway through the third period for a 3-2 win over the Boston Bruins at Wells Fargo Center. The Flyers scored a pair goals in a span of 1 minute, 22 seconds to win their fourth straight and tie their season-best winning streak.