Brandon Hagel (© Rich Storry-Imagn Images) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/d1615299-b2eb-4f97-9656-dc3ff5e05563.jpeg] Brandon Hagel (© Rich Storry-Imagn Images) During the Tampa Bay Lightning [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning]'s Game 4 matchup against the Florida Panthers, star forward Brandon Hagel exited after receiving a high hit from defenseman Aaron Ekblad. The play happened along the boards during the second period. After Hagel moved the puck forward, Ekblad threw his forearm directly into the Lightning [https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqLQgKIidDQklTRndnTWFoTUtFWFJvWldodlkydGxlVzVsZDNNdVkyOXRLQUFQAQ/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwruDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA:en] winger's head. Ekblad escaped the play without a penalty and later tied the game up at 2-2 in the third period. From there, the Panthers would score two more times and defeat the Lightning by a 4-2 final score. Hagel is one of the Lightning's best players, so they will undoubtedly be hoping that he does not need to miss time after Ekblad's hit. The 26-year-old forward just had an incredible regular-season for the Lightning, posting new career highs with 35 goals, 55 assists, and 90 points in 82 games. At the time of this writing, NHL Player Safety has not announced if Ekblad will have a hearing for this play. It will be interesting to see if that changes. Recent Lightning News Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy Named Finalist For Top Award [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/1c28c220-22e2-454e-a44b-4dd0818e41b0.jpeg] Lightning's Andrei Vasilevskiy Named Finalist For Top Award The NHL has announced that <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> goaltender Andrei Vasilevskiy has been <a href="https://x.com/NHL/status/1916870022703595767?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet">named a finalist for the Vezina Trophy</a>. In addition to Vasilevskiy, Winnipeg Jets goalie Connor Hellebuyck and Los Angeles Kings netminder Darcy Kuemper are finalists for the award. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/latest-news/lightnings-andrei-vasilevskiy-named-finalist-for-top-award] Lightning's Nikita Kucherov Joins Elite Company After Huge Game [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/277c8e3a-0a71-4e34-9f5c-6a873d973579.jpeg] Lightning's Nikita Kucherov Joins Elite Company After Huge Game The <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning">Tampa Bay Lightning</a> picked up a massive 5-1 win over the Florida Panthers in Game 3 of their first-round series. This was undoubtedly needed for the <a href="https://news.google.com/publications/CAAqBwgKMK-q0gsw7sXpAw/sections/CAQqEAgAKgcICjCvqtILMO7F6QMwruDfCA?hl=en-CA&gl=CA&ceid=CA%3Aen">Lightning</a>, as a loss would have put them down 3-0 in the series. Instead, they only trail 2-1 now and have the chance to tie up the series in Game 4 with another victory. [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/tampa-bay-lightning/latest-news/lightnings-nikita-kucherov-joins-elite-company-after-huge-game]
