Their first chance to advance to Round 2 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs, the Florida Panthers will battle the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 5 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Amalie Arena on Wednesday. Leading the series 3-1, the defending champs certainly aren’t new to this situation.

Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad will miss at least one game against the Lightning, depending on the next match result, after the NHL Department of Player Safety handed him a two-game suspension for elbowing Brandon Hagel in the head during Game 4. The hit occurred midway through the second period of Monday’s 4–2 Florida win over Tampa Bay.

The NHL Department of Player Safety suspended Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad for the next two games on Tuesday.