Panthers star Aaron Ekblad is heading right back to the sidelines – this time for throwing a dangerous elbow that left Lightning forward Brandon Hagel injured in Game 4 of their heated playoff series.
The NHL handed Ekblad a two-game suspension Tuesday for the hit, which came in just his second game back after serving a 20-game ban for PED use.
It happened in the second period when Ekblad caught Hagel with a high elbow along the boards. Though refs missed it during the game, league officials didn’t like what they saw on replay.
“This is a direct blow to an opponent’s head with an extended elbow,” the NHL explained in announcing the suspension.
The timing couldn’t be worse for both teams.
Ekblad had actually scored the game-tying goal later that night, showing just what the Panthers will miss. But the Lightning got the worst of it – they’re losing Hagel at an absolutely crucial moment.
“He’s not playing tomorrow, and you know why,” Lightning coach Jon Cooper said bluntly about Hagel’s status for Game 5.
It’s a huge blow for Tampa Bay. Hagel was having an incredible year with 90 points in the regular season. Now they’ll try to stay alive without him, facing a 3-1 series deficit.
The bad blood between these Florida rivals keeps building. Ironically, Hagel himself had just returned from his own suspension for a brutal hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2.
There is one bright spot for the Panthers – they’ve proven they can win without Ekblad. They took both Games 1 and 2 in Tampa while he was still serving his PED suspension.
The series heads back to Tampa Wednesday night, with both teams missing key players thanks to this latest chapter in their increasingly fierce rivalry.
