
Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel will miss Game 3 of Tampa’s first-round Stanley Cup Playoff series with the Florida Panthers after delivering an illegal hit on Florida’s captain Aleksander Barkov in Game 2, the league announced on Friday. Barkov was forced to leave Thursday’s game after the hit and did not return.
In the third period of the Panthers’ 2-0 win over the Lightning, Barkov was racing Hagel and Tampa defenseman Ryan McDonagh into the corner for a loose puck. McDonagh won the race, playing the puck around the boards.
Despite that, Hagel laid a heavy hit on Barkov, who hit the ice and the boards with a lot of force. Barkov did not return, and his status for Game 3 is unknown. Hagel was given a five-minute major penalty for interference.
After reviewing the play, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced on Friday that Hagel would be suspended one game. The league noted that Hagel delivered “extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent with sufficient force for supplemental discipline.”
The Department of Player Safety added that, even if Hagel thought Barkov was about to play the puck, Hagel is responsible for knowing whether Barkov has possession.
“It is important to note that Barkov is never in possession of the puck on this play and is therefore not eligible to be checked in any manner,” DoPS said in its announcement. “While we understand Hagel’s argument that he is approaching the play as if Barkov will play the puck, the onus is on Hagel to ensure that the player he is hitting is eligible to be checked.”
With Hagel definitely out for Game 3 on Saturday afternoon, all eyes turn to Barkov. The Panthers captain wasn’t cleared to skate on Friday, but coach Paul Maurice didn’t officially rule him out.
Barkov has been critical in holding Lightning superstar Nikita Kucherov in check through two games. If he can’t go, Florida will need Sam Bennett and Anton Lundell to step up and eat some of those minutes down the middle.
This news was originally published on this post .
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