Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad suspended for hit on Lightning’s Brandon Hagel
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended two games for elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in Monday’s 4-2 Panthers win in Game 4 of the teams’ first-round Stanley Cup playoffs series, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced Tuesday.
Ekblad, who scored the game-tying goal on Monday as part of a spurt of two goals in 11 seconds late in the third period, will not suit up when the teams play Game 5 on Wednesday at Tampa’s Amalie Arena and either Game 6 (if the series extends that far) or the first game of the Panthers’ second-round playoff series. Florida leads the best-of-7 series with Tampa Bay 3-1 and needs just one more win to advance to the second round.
Monday was just Ekblad’s second game back in the Panthers’ lineup after serving a 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL and NHLPA performance enhancing substances program.
“Twenty of the last 22 games, he didn’t play anyway,” Panthers coach Paul Maurice said, “so we’re not used to him being in our lineup anyway. Fortunately, we have that experience now.”
With less than nine minutes left in the second period, shortly after the Panthers took a 1-0 lead, Hagel played the puck out of the Tampa Bay zone. Ekblad skated in on him at the boards and delivered a hit with his right forearm that made contact with Hagel’s head and shoved Hagel down in the process.
“It is important to note that while we have heard Ekblad’s contention that he does not intend to strike Hagel in the head, this is not a case where a blow to an opponent’s torso or shoulder rides up and makes subsequent or glancing contact with the head,” the league explains in a video breaking down the play and reasoning for the suspension. “This is a direct b low to an opponent’s head with an extended elbow delivered with requisite force.”
Ekblad was not issued a penalty for the hit in real time. Hagel did not return to the game after that and already has been ruled out for Game 5.
“He’s not playing tomorrow,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said Tuesday. “There it is, and you know why.”
It was the latest controversial hit in the series and the second that has resulted in a suspension.
Hagel was previously suspended for Game 3 following a high hit on Aleksander Barkov away from the puck in third period of Game 2 that resulted in a five-minute major penalty for interference and was what the Department of Player Safety deemed to be “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent with sufficient force.”
Star Panthers winger Matthew Tkachuk also received a five-minute major penalty for interference in Game 3 when he laid a late hit on Lightning forward Jake Guentzel late in the third period. Tkachuk did not receive supplemental discipline from the league because the hit on Guentzel came after the Lightning forward played the puck and did not involve contact to the head.
Neither Cooper nor Maurice wanted to talk about the Ekblad hit postgame.
“It’s getting tiresome answering questions about a hit every single game,’’ Cooper said. “Let’s move on.’’
Added Maurice: “I want to be consistent with what I said on the Hagel [hit]. I saw it. I’ve seen it before. I’ll coach, the players will play, the refs will make the calls, and the league will do what they will with it. I don’t want to use this platform to start making my case on this. Everybody’s got a job to do. I’ll stay in my lane.”
With Ekblad out, defenseman Uvis Balinskis draws back into the lineup Wednesday for Florida’s first chance to clinch the series.
Niko Mikkola fined
In addition to the Ekblad suspension, the NHL Department of Player Safety also fined Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola $5,000, the maximum allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, for boarding Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons in the opening minute of the third period Monday.
Mikkola received a five-minute major penalty and a game misconduct for the play.
This story was originally published April 29, 2025 at 7:02 PM.
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