2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs
Aaron Ekblad Suspended for Hagel Hit, Will Miss Two Games
FORT LAUDERDALE — Aaron Ekblad will not play for the Florida Panthers on Wednesday night after the defenseman was suspended by the NHL Department of Player Safety.
Ekblad was suspended two games for his high hit to Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the second period of Florida’s eventual 4-2 win in Game 4 on Monday night in Sunrise.
The Panthers lead the best-of-7 series 3-1 with Game 5 on Wednesday in Tampa at 7:30 p.m. (Scripps/ESPN2).
If the Panthers were to win Game 5 and end the series against the Lightning, Ekblad would serve the second game in the opener of the second round.
Hagel, who has hit along the boards after releasing the puck, left the game immediately after getting off the ice and did not return.
Ekblad was not penalized for the hit, and remained in the game.
He scored the game-tying goal late in the third, with Seth Jones scoring 11 seconds later to give the Panthers their first lead since the second.
Tuesday, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper announced — knowing that Ekblad had a phone hearing with the DoPS later Tuesday — that Hagel would be out for Game 5.
The Panthers played 20 games without Ekblad after he was suspended for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.
Two of those games included the first two games of this Lightning series, both won by the Panthers in Tampa.
Uvis Balinskis will likely return to the lineup Wednesday in place of Ekblad.
“Over the last three years, we have had really important players out for big blocks of time,” coach Paul Maurice said Tuesday before the suspension was announced.
“Because we have been through it so much, and Aaron has been out, we know how to give out the minutes. If he’s not out of the lineup, we’ll go with what we’ve got.”
Hagel has been a focal point of this series since his high hit on Sasha Barkov in Game 2. He took a 5-minute major for interference in the third period for it, but stayed in the game.
He was suspended for Game 3.
Barkov is believed to have been in concussion protocol after the Game 2 hit, but returned for Game 3.
Hagel was back in the Lightning lineup on Monday and was booed every time he touched the puck.
2025 NHL STANLEY CUP PLAYOFFS
EASTERN CONFERENCE 1ST ROUND: GAME 5
FLORIDA PANTHERS @ TAMPA BAY LIGHTNING
Panthers lead Best-of-7 Series 3-1
- When: Wednesday, 7:30 p.m.
- Where: Amalie Arena, Tampa
- Local TV: Scripps Sports — WSFL 39 (Miami/FtL); WHDT 9 (WPB); LAFF 36.3 (SWFla)
- National TV: ESPN2
- Streaming: Panthers+
- Radio: WQAM 560-AM; WBZT 1230-AM (Palm Beach); WCTH 100.3-FM (Florida Keys); SiriusXM
- Panthers Radio Streaming: SiriusXM 932, NHL App
- Series Schedule — Game 1: Florida 6, @ Tampa Bay 2; Game 2: Florida 2, @ Tampa Bay 0; Game 3: Tampa Bay 5, @ Florida 1; Game 4: @ Florida 4, Tampa Bay 2; Game 5 at Tampa: Wednesday (ESPN2/Scripps), 7:30; Game 6* at Florida: Friday (TBA); Game 7* at Tampa: Sunday (TBA).
- Regular Season Series: Tied 2-2
- All-time Regular Season Series: Florida leads 79-53-19, 10 ties
- All-Time Postgame Series: Tampa Bay Leads 2-1 (won 2021 first-round, 2022 ECS); Florida d. Lightning 4-1 in 2024 first-round.
I think the NHL department of player safety has an old Lotto ball machine with a bunch of balls in it. They turn it on, draw a ball, and use whatever it says for the penalty.
Because there is no other possible explanation how it arrives at its conclusions.
Hopefully the Panthers can close this series out tomorrow.
Go Cats.
Two officials were staring at the play. No call. Most video angles block any view definitive for direct head contact. The angle from straight up the boards shows Hagels helmet wobble and that’s it. Not enough to be definitive of direct contact to the head. More like the force of Ekblad driving through his shoulder to knock him down. Hagel’s helmet hits the ice and he reaches for his head. That’s where the injury occurs. Between the two officials with eyes directly on the play and not calling any penalty at all and what I’ve seen in the video, I… Read more »
Michael, it’s funny, I think the absolute only thing that hockey fans all agree on, is DOPS has zero consistency. you just truly never know what Perros and co. will do.
The league has lost its way with this kind of stuff. Barkov never touched the puck and was launched into the wall. Clearly a dirty play. Ekblad followed though on his check since Hagel DID have the puck just prior. Worst case scenario it should have been one game or just a fine.
I had almost no problem with the play. Didn’t think it deserved two games; Mikkola’s hit was way worse in my opinion. And really, if Ek doesn’t get his arms up and instead led with his shoulder (potentially a more devastating hit), we wouldn’t even be having this conversation.
Seems the NHL is willing to do whatever it can to extend this series to 6 or 7 games.
Thought it would be one, surprised it’s two, but, we’ll be fine, Balinskis is a fine defender, who quite honestly, I think has another level offensively he can reach, he’s shown flashes…. but I digress…..point is, we’ll be fine, we won both the games with him in the line up.
I was ok with not re-signing Eklbad earlier this year. He’s slower now, gets hurt often, and the suspension didn’t help. Watching him for the short time he’s been back is making me re-think my position. Goal aside, this is a much better team with him on both ends of the ice. Will be interesting what happens with him, Bennett, and even Marchand. Would love to see all three back.
You had it right to begin with – Ekblad has been going downhill for a while but started the year doing much better. Missing 1/4 the year due to a dumb oversight cost the team. He came back and if I’m not wrong, he was on the ice for all but one Lightning goal that was scored since he came back. Forsling’s play seems to even have suffered since changing the pairing. Not saying it’s all Ekblad but I just hesitate to resign him at this point unless it is a massively team friendly deal. I love Ekblad for the… Read more »
This! I don’t think Ekblad has helped himself at all, thinking in the long term! With their CAP, even though it’s going up substantially, both Samo / Sturm are more than worthy of new deals! I’m sure Bill Zito has his plan in mind!
I believe that it could come to be an either-or situation, between, EK and Bennett! For me, no emotion, I’d be all in on Bennett…that’s not even thinking about Marchand…yet!!
Maybe figure skating is a more suitable sport for you to watch
Maybe he should be jailed, or at the very least, forced to listen to Kenny G on a loop for no less than three days….