SUNRISE, Fla. — The news was not that the Islanders — with three defensemen and a top forward hurt and a goalie making his NHL debut — had their season-high seven-game winning streak snapped. Rather, it was that they were tenacious enough to have hopes of extending it.

The reality of their situation hit a whole lot harder after the Islanders’ 6-3 defeat to the Panthers on Sunday in which they nearly rallied to yet another absurd victory before finally

Carter Verhaeghe had his fourth career hat trick, Sam Reinhart scored his 31st goal and the Florida Panthers beat New York 6-3 on Sunday night to end the Islanders’ winning streak at seven games. Verhaeghe added an assist on Matthew Tkachuk’s empty-netter for a four-point night.