Tampa Bay Lightning Lose Superstar Forward Ahead of Must Win Game vs Panthers

The Tampa Bay Lightning lost a late lead in Game 4 against the Florida Panthers, and now, they come into Game 5 on home ice needing to win to keep their season and their Stanley Cup hopes alive.

Unfortunately, Jon Cooper has just announced some bad news that certainly won't help that push, as the Head Coach revealed that star forward Brandon Hagel will miss the biggest game of the Lightning's season.

After being suspended for Game 3 for a hit on Aleksander Barkov, the Florida Panthers were clearly trying to get revenge on Hagel, but in Game 4 they did so in a very dirty way, with Aaron Ekblad laying this illegal hit on the star Lightning forward.

It certainly makes sense for Florida to look to get revenge on Hagel for taking their captain out of Game 2, but the way they went about it was certainly not a good look, as Ekblad is likely to face a suspension for an incredibly unnecessary forearm to the face of Hagel.

The Lightning star would not return to Game 4 following the hit, and despite the fact that he's also set to miss Game 5 as a result, the officials let this one go despite the very illegal hit happening right in front of their eyes.

While this is a brutal blow for the Lightning, expect this to serve as extra motivation for the team as they look to rally around Hagel, and while the odds are now stacked against them, expect this to be one of their best games of the season as they look to fight off elimination.