Tampa Bay Lightning head coach Jon Cooper has announced that forward Brandon Hagel will not be in the lineup for their Game 5 matchup against the Florida Panthers.
This unfortunate announcement comes after Hagel was injured in Game 4. During that contest, the Lightning star winger received a forearm to the head from Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad. Ekblad did not receive a penalty on the play but has a hearing with NHL Player Safety.
Hagel being ruled out for Game 5 is simply awful news for the Lightning. He is one of their best players, and not having him in the lineup will make things more challenging for the Bolts. The Lightning are also one loss away from being knocked out of the playoffs, which makes the timing of Hagel's absence even worse.
Hagel, 26, has played in three playoff games this year with the Lightning, where he has zero points, five penalty minutes, and a minus-4 rating. In 82 regular-season games with Tampa Bay this year, he posted 35 goals, 55 assists, and 90 points, which were all new career highs.
It will now be interesting to see if the Lightning can pull off a win in Game 5 without Hagel on the ice from here.
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