Latest news with #BrandonHagel
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Panthers' Aaron Ekblad Breaks Silence on NHL Suspension For First-Round Hit
Aaron Ekblad returned to the Florida Panthers lineup on Wednesday night for the first time since serving a two-game suspension for elbowing Tampa Bay Lightning's Brandon Hagel in the head. The hit, which came in Game 4 of Florida's first-round series against Tampa Bay, drew no penalty in-game. Ekblad later scored the tying goal in that contest. Advertisement The blueliner returned in Game 2 of the second round against Toronto, registering an assist and playing nearly 20 minutes in the Panthers' loss. Ekblad's assist came on Anton Lundell's game-tying goal early in the third period. Before the Panthers' 4-3 loss to the Toronto Maple Leafs in Game 2, Ekblad publicly addressed the controversial incident and the backlash that followed. 'Going down the wall there, I'm trying to make a hit every single time I do that,' Ekblad said. 'I do that all season. I was aiming for his chest and I caught him in the chin, and that's unfortunate, but it's not my intention. Advertisement 'I'm never out to hurt anybody on the ice.' Hagel, who was concussed on the play and has not returned since, had sharply criticized Ekblad, questioning whether the intent was malicious. 'Purposefully going for someone's head, it's just as bad as it gets,' Hagel said last week. Asked to respond to those comments, Ekblad replied, 'Reasonable response. If that's how he feels, then we move on.' Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) looks on during a stoppage of play at Amalie Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Florida coach Paul Maurice welcomed Ekblad's return to the top pairing ahead of Wednesday's matchup, per The Athletic. 'He's a big part of what we do,' Maurice said. '(His absence came when) you're looking towards the end of the year to build that group as a feel. We get Seth in and Aaron's still on our team and then we have a block of four games with three shutouts and a 2-1 win against Tampa at home, everybody's pretty excited about the way we look, right? Then we can't find him." Advertisement Ekblad has played only three of the Panthers' last 25 games due to a 20-game suspension earlier in the season for violating the league's performance-enhancing substances policy. Game 3 between Maple Leafs and Panthers is set for Friday in Florida, with the series shifting from Toronto and the Maple Leafs holding a 2-0. Related: Mitch Marner's Immediate Reaction After Maple Leafs' Second Straight Win Over Panthers
New York Times
07-05-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Aaron Ekblad addresses criticism of first-round elbow: ‘Reasonable response'
TORONTO — While calling the pointed criticism Brandon Hagel directed at him as 'reasonable' after being sidelined by a forearm shiver to the head, Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad said he wasn't seeking retribution or trying to hurt the Tampa Bay Lightning forward during Round 1. Speaking to reporters in Tampa last week, Hagel questioned Ekblad's motives on a play where he was concussed by a forceful forearm to the face while playing the puck along the boards. 'Purposefully going for someone's head, it's just as bad as it gets,' he said. Aaron Ekblad has been suspended two games for elbowing Brandon Hagel — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 29, 2025 Ekblad was suspended two games for elbowing despite not being penalized on the ice during the April 28 game. Adding insult to injury, he scored the winning goal in that Game 4 after effectively ending Hagel's season. Prior to returning to Florida's lineup for Wednesday's game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, Ekblad addressed the incident for the first time. He classified it as a good hit gone bad. 'Going down the wall there, I'm trying to make a hit every single time I do that,' Ekblad said. 'I do that all season. I was aiming for his chest and I caught him in the chin, and that's unfortunate, but it's not my intention. I'm never out to hurt anybody on the ice. It's unfortunate the way that the outcome happened, but it is what it is. 'We all move on.' Hagel had received his own one-game suspension earlier in the series for levelling Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov when he hadn't touched the puck. He told reporters that he understood why Florida would have sought retribution following that incident, but indicated that he would have preferred to be challenged to a fight rather than getting taken out with a dirty hit. 'Any 20 of you guys,' Hagel said. 'I could care less, I'm a pretty honest player, I would have answered the bell. If he would have said 'Let's fight,' I don't care if I would have got my ass kicked.' Hagel was particularly disappointed that the elbow came from Ekblad, who hadn't previously been suspended during an 800-game NHL career and has dealt with concussion issues of his own. 'I thought that (he was trying to injure me), which sucked because I could have played with a broken arm, I could have played with a bad knee, I could have played with a bad foot or you go down the list,' Hagel said. 'You only have one brain.' On Wednesday morning, Ekblad declined to reveal if he had made any attempts to clear the air with Hagel. Asked what he made of the public comments from the Lightning forward, he replied: 'Reasonable response. If that's how he feels, then we move on.' It's been a difficult few months for the 29-year-old Panthers defenseman, who has only played two games since March 8. Two days after that, he received a 20-game suspension for violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. Ekblad said that he mistakenly ingested a banned substance while taking something designed to help his recovery from injury without first checking with the proper medical and team personnel. He was two games into his return from that ban when the Hagel hit happened. A top-pairing defender alongside Gustav Forsling, Ekblad's return for Game 2 of the second-round series with Toronto was highly anticipated by Panthers coach Paul Maurice. With him in the lineup, Seth Jones can play on the second pairing and give them a more formidable look in the top four. 'He's a big part of what we do,' Maurice said. '(His absence came when) you're looking towards the end of the year to build that group as a feel. We get Seth in and Aaron's still on our team and then we have a block of four games with three shutouts and a 2-1 win against Tampa at home, everybody's pretty excited about the way we look, right? Then we can't find him. 'He gets the ankle bracelet put him on and we don't get him back. We're just getting to learn what we look like with everybody in.' (Photo of Aaron Ekblad celebrating a Game 4 win in Round 1: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)
Miami Herald
30-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
Should The NHL Allow Video Review For Uncalled Headshots During A Game?
Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended for elbowing Brandon Hagel in the head, but he wasn't penalized when he did it. Now, Hagelwon't play for the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Battle of Florida, while Ekblad scored the tying goal in Game 4's comeback win for the Panthers. There were only four people in the world who had the power to do anything about it during the game. And in the NHL, infractions that are called can be reviewed but not ones that aren't. That should change. We're not lobbying for a review of every infraction, but if the NHL wants to further prevent and punish head contact, it has to get this right. Whether that's having an eye-in-the-sky official who has the power to call headshots or giving the control room in Toronto the power to intervene and have the officials review them, something has to be done. Today's video column has more. Get thelatest news and trending stories by following The Hockey News on Google News and bysubscribing to The Hockey News newsletter here. And share your thoughts by commenting belowthe article on Copyright 2025 The Hockey News, Roustan Media Ltd.
USA Today
30-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Lightning vs. Panthers NHL Playoffs First Round Game 5: Injured players, inactives, latest updates
Lightning vs. Panthers NHL Playoffs First Round Game 5: Injured players, inactives, latest updates Ahead of Game 5 of the NHL Playoffs First Round against the Florida Panthers (47-31-4), the Tampa Bay Lightning (47-27-8) currently are monitoring two players on the injury report. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, April 30 at Amalie Arena. Stream NHL games and originals all season long on ESPN+! Lightning vs. Panthers game info Date: Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Wednesday, April 30, 2025 Time: 7:30 p.m. ET 7:30 p.m. ET TV channel: ESPN2 (Watch LIVE with Fubo!) ESPN2 (Watch LIVE with Fubo!) Location: Tampa, Florida Tampa, Florida Venue: Amalie Arena NHL odds courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook. Odds updated Tuesday at 9:37 p.m. ET. For a full list of sports betting odds, access USA TODAY Sports Betting Scores Odds Hub. Favorite: Lightning (-110) Lightning (-110) Underdog: Panthers (-110) Panthers (-110) Total: 5.5 Lightning injury report April 30 Brandon Hagel | LW (Day-To-Day) Injury: Upper Body Upper Body Games played: 82 82 Stats: 35 goals, 55 assists, 90 points Oliver Bjorkstrand | RW (Out) Injury: Lower Body Lower Body Games played: 79 79 Stats: 21 goals, 25 assists, 46 points Panthers injury report April 30 No injuries listed. Watch the NHL on Fubo!
Yahoo
29-04-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lightning's Brandon Hagel, back from suspension, leaves game after Aaron Ekblad hit
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel, in his first game back from a one-game suspension, left Monday's action after an unpenalized hit from a Florida Panthers player. Hagel has been suspended for Game 3 of the first-round series for interference after his hard hit knocked Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov out of Game 2. Monday, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad skated toward Hagel and caught him high with his forearm in the second period of Game 4. Hagel fell backward and hit his head on the ice. He appeared to be woozy when he got up and headed to the dressing room. Hagel, who had 90 points in the regular season, hadn't returned at the beginning of the third period. Ekblad hits Hagel, who goes to the locker room. No call on the play, somehow — Shayna (@shaynagoldman_) April 29, 2025 No penalty was called on the play, which left Lightning coach Jon Cooper irate on the bench. Play was stopped for an injury timeout, and when it resumed, Tampa Bay's Mitchell Chaffee and Erik Cernak scored 11 seconds apart. That set a Lightning record for fastest two playoff goals. That wasn't the only rough hit in the game. Florida's Niko Mikkola was ejected for boarding Zemgus Girgensons in the third period. Girgensons was down on his knees when Mikkola hit him. Niko Mikkola receives a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding on Zemgus Girgensons. — Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) April 29, 2025 The USA TODAY app gets you to the heart of the news — fast. Download for award-winning coverage, crosswords, audio storytelling, the eNewspaper and more. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brandon Hagel injury update: Lightning star leveled by Aaron Ekblad
