SUNRISE, Fla. (AP) — Tensions continued to escalate in Game 4 of the first-round playoff series between the Lightning and Panthers.
Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel was knocked out of Florida’s 4-2 win on Monday night following a high hit from Aaron Ekblad, four days after Hagel sent Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov out of Game 2 with a late blow.
Ekblad landed a hit with his forearm to the chin area of Hagel, who fell directly on his back with 8:37 left in the second period. There was no penalty on the play, and Hagel did not return to the game.
Hagel was back Monday from a one-game suspension after he drew a 5-minute major for interference on Barkov in Game 2 on Thursday. The NHL’s Department of Player Safety suspended Hagel from the Lightning’s Game 3 win after a disciplinary hearing with him on Friday.
In Game 3, Florida star Matthew Tkachuk drew the same penalty for a late hit on Jake Guentzel.
Tkachuk, however, was not suspended. And tempers didn’t ease in Game 4.
Early in the third period on Monday, Florida’s Niko Mikkola was ejected for boarding Zemgus Girgensons, who was down on his knees.
It has been chippy all series, including light banter between the two coaches. There have been a combined 19 penalties in the last two games.
But after his team squandered a third-period lead, Tampa Bay coach Jon Cooper was in no mood for chirping about penalties.
“It’s getting tiresome answering questions about a hit every single game,” Cooper said. “Why are you asking me the question? If anyone in here has something (to say), stand up and let me know.”
Panthers coach Paul Maurice didn’t have much to say about it either.
“I saw it. I’ve seen it before. I saw it last year,” Maurice said. “We’ll coach. The players will play. The refs will make the calls. And the league will deal with it. I don’t want to use this platform to start making my case on this. Everybody’s got a job to do. I’ll stay in my lane.” ___
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