Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad got away with delivering a forearm to the head of Tampa Bay Lightning left winger Brandon Hagel during Monday night's Game 5 of their Eastern Conference first round playoff series.
It happened in the second period inside the Lightning blue line. As Hagel was clearing the puck, Ekblad skated towards him and dropped a forearm to Hagel's chin, taking him down to the ice. He went right to the dressing room and did not return. Surprisingly, there was no penalty.
Brandon Hagel heads to the dressing room after this forearm by Aaron Ekblad 😳
— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 29, 2025
There was no penalty on the play...🤔 pic.twitter.com/3qBBuoOBCa
We have seen some players get away with worse offenses that should have been called penalties, as was the case here. There was much debate on ESPN between the second and third periods as to whether this play is worthy of a suspension. Should be interesting to see what the NHL Player Safety department has to say about this.
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports) and like Holdout Sports on Facebook.
