If the Lightning–Panthers storyline is starting to feel familiar, there’s a reason. For the third time in three games, Lightning forward Brandon Hagel was on the receiving end of another high hit Monday night at Benchmark International Arena.
Hagel exited the game early after Panthers defenseman Seth Jones caught him with an elbow to the face in the third period. There was no penalty assessed on the play, and the NHL Department of Player Safety determined the hit did not warrant any supplemental discipline. Hagel did not participate in practice on Tuesday and will miss Thursday's game with an upper body injury.
“I'd love to have him back before the break, but I can't say for sure," Lightning coach Jon Cooper said. "So take this one slow. We get that extra day, so there's a four-day break, and he should be good after that. I can't say anything about the games prior though."
Hagel has been a fixation for the Panthers since last April, when he received a one-game suspension for an illegal hit on Aleksander Barkov in Game 2 of the first-round. Barkov returned for Game 3. Since then, the head hits on Hagel have become a recurring issue, with little accountability to follow.
During the first round of the playoffs, Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad delivered an elbow to Hagel’s head that resulted in a concussion. There was no penalty called, allowing Ekblad to remain in the game and later score before he was subsequently suspended two games. During a preseason game on Oct. 2, Panthers forward A.J. Greer cross-checked Hagel and followed with multiple punches to the head, earning a 10-minute misconduct as Hagel exited with an undisclosed injury. Greer was fined $2,213.54.
Two days later, we saw the ‘Battle of Florida’ serve up a total of 322 penalty minutes, 16 ejections, and 65 total penalties. The Lightning accounted for 182 penalty minutes, while the Panthers were assessed 140. The Lightning received two suspensions and two fines as a result of the game. In addition, the NHL fined the Lightning $100,000 and head coach Jon Cooper $25,000. The Panthers were not given any additional discipline following the game.
"I think we made our position clear in terms of our response," Commissioner Gary Bettman said on Oct. 7. at the season opener between the Panthers and Blackhawks. "That's not what the game is all about."
“We didn’t think what happened was appropriate for a variety of reasons,” he continued.
Going unnoticed in Monday’s game was Niko Mikkola’s elbow to the head of Jake Guentzel. After Guentzel attempted to push in a rebound, Mikkola drove his forearm into Guentzel’s head from behind. The hit sparked Guentzel’s first fight in his 10-year NHL career. There was no penalty called on Mikkola, and both players received fighting majors.
“He got elbowed in the head,” Cooper said after the game. “Was Guentz just jumping up to say, ‘For fun, I’m gonna fight a guy a foot taller than me?’ No. So it’s another one where he earns his fight.”
Guentzel was on the receiving end of a hit in Game 3 of the playoffs by Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk, who skated in from Guentzel’s blind side, made eye contact, and delivered an open-ice hit that leveled him. According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the NHL Department of Player Safety believed the hit carried less force than Hagel’s on Aleksander Barkov in Game 2. As a result, Tkachuk faced no further discipline or accountability.
In determining supplementary discipline for on-ice conduct, the NHL considers a number of factors, including whether the act was intentional or reckless, whether it results in an injury to the opposing player, and whether the player involved has a history of violating league rules. Supplemental Discipline can be assessed to any player, regardless of whether or not they were penalized by an on-ice official.
So where does the NHL draw the line? Hagel is a rising star in the league and a likely member of Team Canada’s 2026 Olympic roster. Not addressing the hit invites more of the same behavior.
“I could have played with a broken arm, I could have played with a bad knee, I could have played with a bad foot. You go down the list," Hagel said following his concussion in April. "But you only have one brain."
On Monday, the NHL Department of Player Safety had an opportunity to put an end to an issue that will likely continue to escalate. The two teams meet again on Dec. 27.