Panthers' Aaron Ekblad Suspended 2 Games for Elbowing Lightning's Brandon Hagel

As the Florida Panthers look to seal a win against the Tampa Bay Lightning in the first round of the NHL playoffs, they'll have to do so without a key defenseman.

NHL Player Safety announced Tuesday that Aaron Ekblad has been suspended for two games for elbowing Lightning forward Brandon Hagel in the head during Monday's game.

In the third period of Florida's 4-2 win on Monday, Ekblad skated into Hagel and elbowed him in the head as Hagel tried to make a play on the puck. Hagel's head hit the ice, and he was removed from the game because of concussion concerns.

Ekblad was not penalized for the hit and remained in the game, later scoring a game-tying goal with just over three minutes to play. Seth Jones scored what would be the game-winning goal less than a minute later.

Per ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, Ekblad met with the NHL Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for a hearing regarding the hit. Even before the suspension, the Panthers were preparing to be without Ekblad.

“We’ve been through it with Aaron out,” Florida coach Paul Maurice said, per The Athletic's Josh Yohe. “Let’s assume he’s out of the lineup. If he’s not, we’ll go with what we’ve got.”

Hagel, who already missed part of the series after being suspended for a hit against Aleksander Barkov, will not play in Game 5.

"He's not playing tomorrow. And you know why," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said, per Wyshynski.

Ekblad's suspension marks what has been a rocky stretch for him recently. Before the postseason, he served a 20-game suspension for violating the league's Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

The Panthers hold a 3-1 lead over the Lightning and will look to end the series with a win on Wednesday. Ekblad will miss Game 4 and either Game 5 of the first round or Game 1 of the second round series, which will be against either the Toronto Maple Leafs or Ottawa Senators.