FILE - Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad (5) looks on during the third period of an NHL hockey game against the Minnesota Wild Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024, in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Matt Krohn, File) (Matt Krohn, Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
SUNRISE, Fla. – The Florida Panthers will be without a key defender as they look to move on to round two.
Defenseman Aaron Ekblad was suspended two games by the NHL Department of Player Safety on Tuesday for elbowing Brandon Hagel during Game 4 against Tampa Bay.
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Hagel has been ruled out of Game 5.
Florida won Game 4 on Monday night 4-2 and now holds a 3-1 series lead over the Lightning.
Game 5 is set for Wednesday night from Amalie Arena in Tampa.
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David Dwork joined the WPLG Local 10 News team in August 2019. Born and raised in Miami-Dade County, David has covered South Florida sports since 2007.
