Do you recall that moment when Brandon Hagel got a five-minute major penalty in Game 2 with the Florida Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning? So, during the third period, there was this moment when Hagel really laid into Barkov with a big body check, and it happened well after the puck had been played. The NHL decided that Barkov didn’t have the puck, so he wasn’t fair game for a check. They called Hagel’s hit intentional and way too forceful. So, you won’t believe what happened next!
Hagel got a one-game suspension from the NHL’s Department of Player Safety due to an interference incident with the Panthers’ captain. It’s a bummer for Tampa Bay fans to see one of their star players sidelined for Game 3. Also, this is going to be really important for the Lightning since they’re already down 2-0.
Following the one-game suspension, Lightning coach Jon Cooper shared his thoughts at the pre-game conference on FloridaHockeyNow’s YouTube channel. He mentioned, “I think the only frustration is he got suspended. Obviously, our guys were not sure if that would happen or not. It’s frustrating he did, but he’s a big part of our team, one of the leaders on our team. I think sometimes you can draw inspiration from that.”
After Brandon Hagel’s suspension, things in the Tampa Bay locker room were definitely not all sunshine and rainbows. They’re going to be missing one of their star players, and that’s definitely not a good situation for any team in the Stanley Cup Playoffs. What are Hagel’s stats for the season?
The hockey forward played in all 82 regular-season games, scoring 35 goals and adding 55 assists, which gave him a total of 90 points. That put him in a tie for 11th place in the league’s scoring rankings. His +33 plus-minus rating put him in the top 10 in the NHL, highlighting how effective he is on both ends of the ice. Right now, it’s tough for the Lightning. They’re just stuck waiting for Game 4 to see their star player back on the rink. But are you aware that the Panthers have found a new target for Game 3?
Panthers’ attention shifts from Brandon Hagel to another Tampa Bay player
As Game 2 was winding down, the crowd caught a glimpse of Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand, and Sam Bennett having a little chirping session with the Tampa Bay Lightning bench. Wow, this is not looking great. What’s the reason for that? So, a seasoned fan gets that when these three come together, it’s pretty much game over for the other team. There’s a good chance one of these Florida Panthers is going to get up close and personal with the Lightning players.
Joe Haggerty mentioned that “Florida Panthers are all telling Kucherov that he’s going to get it for Hagel’s hit on Barkov. Things are about to get nasty in the Battle of Florida.” Nikita Kucherov is the next target for the Panthers. Brandon Hagel really got under the opponents’ skin, didn’t he? So, what’s the deal with Kucherov?
You know, Kucherov can really lose his temper quickly. So, what do you think will happen when it goes off? It will be complete chaos out there. Fans are definitely going to enjoy it, but we can’t really predict what will happen in Game 3 between those two rival teams.
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