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Panthers Defenseman Faces Hearing for Hit on Lightning Forward

One of the Florida Panthers' top defensemen could miss time after an ugly hit in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

Jon Alfano

Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad moves the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad moves the puck against the Tampa Bay Lightning. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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The first-round series between the Florida Panthers and Tampa Bay Lightning has been a nasty one, with some very questionable hits on both sides.

Game 4 on Monday night was no exception, with one of said questionable hits coming from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. In the middle of the second period, Ekblad delivered a high hit on Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, shoving his forearm into his opponent's face for the takedown. Hagel did not return to the game.

Though Ekblad controversially did not receive a penalty on the play, but the NHL definitely took notice. According to TSN's Chris Johnston, Ekblad will have a hearing with the Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for the hit.

Ekblad, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, previously missed 20 games - including the first two games of this season, for violating the league's performance enhancing substance policy. He made his return in Game 3 on Saturday.

Despite committing a hit that very well could've gotten him thrown out of the game, Ekblad made his presence felt later on when he scored the game-tying goal with 3:47 left in the third period. Seth Jones scored the go-ahead goal for Florida 11 seconds later. The Panthers would go on to win 4-2 and take a 3-1 stranglehold on the series.

Hagel was previously suspended one game after a hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in the third period of Game 2 on Thursday. Fans at Amerant Bank Arena cheered Ekblad's hit on Hagel Monday, likely in response to the Lightning star's prior hit.

Game 5 between the Lightning and Panthers is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday. Tampa Bay needs a win to stay alive, while Florida will look to finish its in-state rival off in five games for the second year in a row.

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Jon Alfano
JON ALFANO

Jon is a lead writer for Baltimore Ravens On SI and contributes to other sites around the network as well. The Tampa native previously worked with sites such as ClutchPoints and GiveMeSport and earned his journalism degree at the University of Central Florida.

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