Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad has received a two-game suspension from the NHL`s Department of Player Safety for elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel. The incident occurred during the second period of Game 4 in their first-round playoff series.
Despite no penalty being called on the ice at the time, Ekblad`s hit to Hagel`s head led to a disciplinary ruling after a phone hearing. Hagel left the game following the hit and did not return.
This suspension means Ekblad will be unavailable for Game 5. He will also miss either Game 6 of the current series against the Lightning or the Panthers` first game of the next round, should they advance.
Lightning coach Jon Cooper confirmed that Brandon Hagel will not play in Game 5 due to the injury sustained from the hit. The situation adds another layer to the series physicality, as Hagel himself had just served a suspension for Game 3 for a late hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2.
For Ekblad, this is not his first absence this season. He previously missed the first two games of the playoffs and the final 18 games of the regular season due to a suspension for violating the league and NHLPA`s performance-enhancing drug policy. The Panthers organization is consequently familiar with adjusting their lineup without their key defenseman.
Coach Paul Maurice commented on the team`s preparedness for Ekblad`s absence, noting, “Because we’ve been through it so much when Aaron’s out we know what the D-pairs are — let’s assume — if he’s out of the lineup.”
In a separate but related disciplinary action from the same Game 4, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola was fined $5,000 for boarding Tampa Bay`s Zemgus Girgensons. Mikkola was given a five-minute major penalty and ejected from the game early in the third period for that specific play.
