Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad’s hit that knocked Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel out of Game 4 wasn’t penalized by the referees.
But the NHL Department of Player Safety had its say, suspending Ekblad two games for elbowing. After holding a hearing with Ekblad earlier in the day, it made the announcement on Tuesday. Hagel was playing his first game after serving a one-game interference suspension for knocking Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov out of Game 2 with a late, hard hit.
The Ekblad incident happened in the second period Monday when the defenseman skated toward Hagel and caught him up high with his arm.
Hagel fell and hit his head on the ice and was woozy as he skated to the dressing room. The team stated that he did not return and will not play in Game 5. Ekblad would later score in the third period to start a rally that gave the Panthers a 4-2 victory and a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series. In Tampa, Game 5 is on Wednesday. Ekblad was playing his second game after returning from a 20-game PED suspension.
Niko Mikkola fined for boarding Zemgus Girgensons
Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola was fined $5,000 for boarding Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons in Game 4. Mikkola was ejected after hitting Girgensons into the boards while his opponent was on his knees.
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