Florida defenceman Aaron Ekblad has actually been put on hold for 2 ready shouldering Lightning onward Brandon Hagel in the head midway with Game 4 of the Panthers’ first-round playoff collection versus Tampa Bay.
The NHL’s Department of Player Safety revealed its judgment after a phone hearing with Ekblad earlierTuesday He will certainly be out for Game 5 and either Game 6 of this collection or the Panthers’ initial video game following round.
No fine was called when Ekblad hit Hagel in the chin with his ideal elbow joint and lower arm with simply under 9 mins left in the 2nd duration onMonday Hagel left the ice and did not return, and Ekblad racked up the initial of 2 objectives in 11 secs late in the 3rd to provide the safeguarding Stanley Cup champs a resurgence triumph and a 3-1 collection lead.
Coach Jon Cooper claimed Hagel would certainly not play in Game 5. Hagel was put on hold for Game 3 for his late hit that knocked Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov out of Game 2.
Tampa Bay Lightning left wing Brandon Hagel and Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad fight for the puck throughout a 2024 Stanley Cup Playoff video game. (Wilfredo Lee/The Associated Press)
The Belle River, Ont., indigenous missed out on the initial 2 video games and the last 18 of the normal period after being put on hold forviolating the league and NHLPA’s performance-enhancing drug policy Florida obtained accustomed to playing without Ekblad.
“If it’s the first time it happens, there’s even questions from the coaching staff about what’s the right adjustment to make in your lineup and how will that play out — there’s a lot of unknowns,” trainer Paul Maurice claimed.
“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.”
