“I would say that Aaron’s probably in the best shape of his life right now,” Florida head coach Paul Maurice said about Aaron Ekblad ahead of Game 3 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. The coach also hailed Ekblad as an “elite defenseman” who is essential to the Panthers’ blue line. And now, as he gets his mojo back after his 20-match suspension, it looks like the Canadian is determined to prove his boss’s faith in him to be correct, at the expense of his national teammate, Brandon Hagel.

Hagel hasn’t been having the best time on the ice lately. In Game 2 between the in-state arch-rivals, Brandon laid out the Cats’ captain, Aleksander Barkov, which resulted in a one-match suspension by the NHL. He was missed in Game 3 by the Bolts. But as Game 4 commenced, Hagel was ready to go onto the ice with the hope of bringing the squad on level terms with the Miami team. Unlucky for him, though, Ekblad was there to welcome him back in his own way.

The official Sportsnet account posted on X on April 28, sharing the moment when Ekblad lays a strong forearm into Hagel’s head halfway through the second period. Brandon can be seen in possession of the puck, but the Panthers’ blue line star doesn’t even seem to have his eyes on the same, and instead charges at him at full speed. Hagel falls hard as his helmet can be seen bouncing off the ice. “Hagel went down the tunnel following the hit,” Sportsnet’s post notes, and one can’t help but speculate: is Brandon Hagel on the verge of missing out on yet another game of the playoffs after Ekblad steamrolled through him?

Well, while details of the more long-term effects of the hit on Hagel are yet to be revealed, things certainly didn’t look good for the forward as he appeared to be dazed as he headed down to the locker room for a concussion evaluation, and didn’t return to the game after that.

To make things even worse for the Bolts, Ekblad’s hit on Hagel wasn’t called a penalty either. However, the Bolts took advantage of the scrum and went on to score two back-to-back goals from Mitchell Chaffee and Erik Cernak in 11 seconds to take a 2-1 lead in the game. Although that lead didn’t last long as the Panthers ultimately skated away with 4-2 victory, coach Jon Cooper was elated when the lead was taken. As for his response to the controversial hit, he was absolutely livid, and his frustration spilled over to the post-game presser as well.

“It’s getting tiresome answering questions about a hit every game,” he said. “I’ll ask you. Why are you asking me the question? If anybody in here has something, stand up and let’s go?” ESPN journalist P.K. Subban also noted his astonishment at how Ekblad flattened Hagel right in front of the refs’ eyes, and the play was still allowed to continue without any penalties. However, though, this wouldn’t be the first time that a Panthers star got leeway from the match officials.

Brandon Hagel’s attacker probably had encouragement from recent happenings

In Game 2 between the Cats and the Bolts, it was Brandon Hagel who was the main culprit behind a serious offence. The Tampa Bay star slammed into the Panthers’ captain, Aleksander Barkov, who wasn’t even in possession of the puck. Barkov went down and held on to his head as the refs called a five-minute major on Hagel. However, the NHL’s Department of Player Safety later reviewed the hit and suspended Brandon for one game. However, Matthew Tkachuk wanted to make a stronger statement.

Tkachuk and Hagel were the centerpiece of the first of the three fistfights that broke out on the ice when the US and Canada met at the 4 Nations Face-Off in February this year. Maybe Chucky still hasn’t forgotten the sordid affair. In Game 3, he was perhaps on the lookout to get back at the Bolts. And boy, did he! Matthew executed a late hit on Tampa Bay’s Jake Guentzel, who had just passed the puck to Anthony Cirelli, setting him up for an open-netter. The refs gave Tkachuk a five-minute major for the hit, but the star didn’t receive any suspension, despite many pundits admitting that the lateness of the hit should have warranted one.

Maybe that’s what made Aaron Ekblad so gutsy tonight. Moreover, along with taking Brandon Hagel out of play, Ekblad also contributed in further ways to the Panthers’ tonight’s win tonight by scoring a goal. But will today’s action reignite the inner UFC champ in Brandon? Will he lace up for the next game with an eye on revenge? Tell us your speculation in a comment!