US EditionPanthers' Ekblad suspended 2 games for elbowing Lightning's Brandon Hagel in the head
- Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad received a two-game suspension for elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel during Game 4 on April 28, 2025.
- The suspension followed a phone hearing held by the NHL's Department of Player Safety earlier that Tuesday after Ekblad hit Hagel in the head with his right elbow and forearm late in the second period.
- No penalty was called on the ice during the incident, which led Hagel to leave the game and miss Game 5, while Ekblad returned to score two late goals helping the Panthers win 4-2 and take a 3-1 series lead.
- Hagel returned from a one-game suspension incurred after a hit that caused Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov to leave the previous game, while Ekblad had been sidelined for the first two playoff matches due to an earlier suspension related to a performance-enhancing drug violation.
- Ekblad’s suspension sidelines him for Game 5 and raises lineup adjustment questions for Panthers coach Paul Maurice as the physical first-round playoff series continues between the defending champions and the Lightning.
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50 Articles
Panthers Aaron Ekblad Suspended Two Games For Elbowing Lightning Forward Brandon Hagel
The Florida Panthers have an opportunity to knock their cross-state rival, Tampa Bay Lightning, out of the playoffs on Wednesday night, but they'll have to do it without the services of one of their top blueliners, Aaron Ekblad.When we saw that the Panthers would be opening their quest for a repeat Stanley Cup against the Lightning, we all knew it would be physical. However, that physicality has towed the line of legality at times with players f…
The Daily News
Panthers' Ekblad suspended 2 games for elbowing Lightning's Brandon Hagel in the head
NEW YORK (AP) — Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for two games for elbowing Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the head midway through Game 4 of the Panthers’ first-round series against Tampa Bay.
Idaho Press
Tampa Bay's Brandon Hagel exits Game 4 after high hit from Aaron Ekblad
SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Brandon Hagel went to the locker room in the second period of the Tampa Bay Lightning's playoff game against the Florida Panthers after taking a high hit from Aaron Ekblad.
Sources: Tkachuk dodges discipline, will play G4
Florida Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who leads this East first-round series in scoring with three goals and four points, will not receive supplemental discipline for his hit on Tampa Bay Lightning forward Jake Geuntzel in Game 3, sources told ESPN.
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