The Tampa Bay Lightning were dealt some brutal news on Friday night. Star forward Brandon Hagel was given a one-game suspension for his Game 2 hit on Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. As a result, he won't be in the lineup for the Lightning in a must-win Game 3 against the Florida Panthers.
Game 3 was already going to be a challenge before this Hagel news for the Lightning. This is because they are now playing on the road and are already down 2-0 in the series. However, with this Hagel suspension, things are only going to get more difficult for the Bolts for Game 3.
Hagel is one of the Lightning's top players, and his 2024-25 season effectively demonstrates this. He was simply dominant this campaign for the Lightning, posting 35 goals, 55 assists, 90 points, and a plus-33 rating in 82 games. Losing that offense from their lineup will undoubtedly make things tough for the Lightning.
While it is certainly troubling for the Lightning that Hagel won't be in the lineup for Game 3, they still have the potential to secure a win in the matchup. They have plenty of talent elsewhere, and if they can get their offense going, they could give themselves some life with a win. However, if they can't overcome the loss of Hagel and fall in the series 3-0, it would significantly hurt their chances of moving on to the second round.
It will now be interesting to see how the Lightning perform without Hagel in the lineup for Game 3 from here.
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