FILE - Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) looks on during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) celebrates his goal during the third period in Game 4 of an NHL hockey Stanley Cup first-round playoff series against the Tampa Bay Lightning, Monday, April 28, 2025, in Sunrise, Fla. (AP Photo/Marta Lavandier)
Panthers’ Ekblad suspended 2 games for elbowing Lightning’s Hagel in the head
NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Florida defenceman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for two games for elbowing Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the head midway through Game 4 of the Panthers鈥 first-round playoff series against Tampa Bay.
FILE - Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) looks on during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File)
NEW YORK (AP) 鈥 Florida defenceman Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for two games for elbowing Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the head midway through Game 4 of the Panthers鈥 first-round playoff series against Tampa Bay.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety announced its ruling after a phone hearing with Ekblad earlier Tuesday. He will be out for Game 5 and either Game 6 of this series or the Panthers鈥 first game next round.
No penalty was called when Ekblad hit Hagel in the chin with his right elbow and forearm with just under nine minutes left in the second period on Monday. and did not return, and Ekblad scored the first of two goals in 11 seconds late in the third to give the defending Stanley Cup champions and a 3-1 series lead.
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Coach Jon Cooper said Hagel would not play in Game 5. for Game 3 for his late hit that knocked Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov out of Game 2.
Ekblad missed the first two games and the final 18 of the regular season for violating the league and NHLPA’s performance-enhancing drug policy. Florida got accustomed to playing without Ekblad.
鈥淚f it鈥檚 the first time it happens, there鈥檚 even questions from the coaching staff about what鈥檚 the right adjustment to make in your lineup and how will that play out 鈥 there鈥檚 a lot of unknowns,” coach Paul Maurice said. 鈥淏ecause we鈥檝e been through it so much when Aaron鈥檚 out we know what the D-pairs are 鈥 let鈥檚 assume 鈥 if he鈥檚 out of the lineup.鈥
Another Panthers defenceman, Niko Mikkola, was fined $5,000 for boarding Tampa Bay’s Zemgus Girgensons. Mikkola was given a five-minute major and ejected for the play early in the third period of Game 4.
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