Lightning’s Hagel exits with apparent injury vs. Panthers

Star Lightning forward Brandon Hagel left the game in the third period after appearing to take a Seth Jones elbow to the head and didn’t return.

Hagel had logged 13:32 of ice time with two shots on goal before exiting what ended as a Panthers 5-2 victory.

Ekblad’s elbow came after Hagel returned to the ice from a suspension of his own in the series. The Tampa forward was given a one-game punishment for laying a hit on Aleksander Barkov that left the Panthers captain injured. Barkov, however, returned to action for Game 3 of the series.

After a 90-point 2024-25, Hagel has continued to score at a torrid pace this season. He entered Monday’s game with 18 goals, 31 points and a plus-19 rating in 31 games.

If Hagel ends up being all right from Monday’s hit, he won’t have to wait long to see the Panthers again. Tampa Bay will head to Sunrise on Dec. 27 to write the next chapter in this budding Florida rivalry.