Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will have a phone hearing with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety following his hit to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, the league announced Tuesday.
Ekblad was not whistled for a penalty on the play during the second period of the Panthers’ 4-2 victory over the Lightning in Game 4 of their Eastern Conference first-round series on Monday night.
Florida holds a 3-1 lead in the best-of-seven series against its Sunshine State rival. Game 5 is Wednesday in Tampa, Fla.
Also on Tuesday, the NHL announced Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola has been fined $5,000 for boarding Lightning forward Zemgus Girgensons. The fine is the maximum allowable under the collective bargaining agreement.
Ekblad returned to action for Game 3 of the series on Saturday following a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
Hagel also returned following a one-game ban for his hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2. Hagel, however, did not return to Game 4 after Ekblad’s hit.
Ekblad, 29, scored a goal and logged 22:11 of ice time in Game 4.
Florida made Ekblad the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NHL Draft, and he has spent his entire 11-year career with the franchise. Injuries limited him to 51 regular-season games in 2023-24, but he suited up for all 24 playoff games as the Panthers won the first Stanley Cup in team history.
This season, Ekblad has played in 56 games and tallied 33 points (three goals, 30 assists). He has played in 732 career games and amassed 118 goals and 262 assists, adding five goals and 16 assists in 66 playoff appearances.
