"Definitely a suspension", "Roid rage": NHL fans incensed at Aaron Ekblad's no-call elbow hit on Brandon Hagel

NHL fans on social media were furious over Florida Panthers' Aaron Ekblad's hit on Tampa Bay Lightning's Brandon Hagel during Game 4.

In the second period, Ekblad delivered a high forearm hit to Hagel's chin, causing him to fall backward. Hagel left the ice and did not return to the bench for the remaining eight minutes in the period. No penalty was assessed for the play.

Here's how fans on X (formerly Twitter) reacted to Aaron Ekblad's no-call hit on Brandon Hagel. One tweeted:

"Definitely a suspension."

Another chimed in:

"roid rage."

Here are some of the other top reactions on X:

"This is a joke. How much does the league have on Florida via Draft kings? This is obvious," a third fan wrote.

"Roid boy should not have been on the ice to score the tying goal. He should’ve been in the dressing room thinking about his next suspension," one said.

"Absolutely ridiculous the amount of guts to the head that have been let go so far in round one. Unreal," another posted.

"This was some big bs it didn’t get called right here," another chimed in.

In March, Aaron Ekblad was suspended for 20 games for breaching the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program.

NHL analyst believes multi-game suspension forthcoming for Aaron Ekblad's hit on Brandon Hagel

Analyst Justin Bourne believes Aaron Ekblad's hit on Brandon Hagel deserves a multi-game suspension. On Sportsnet, Bourne stated that the hit was a deliberate and violent forearm to Hagel's chin.

He predicted Ekblad would face at least a two-game suspension for what he considered a dangerous play.

"This forearm shiver to Hagel, to me, is a complete lapse in judgment from Ekblad. I think it's violent. He gets him right in the button with a hard forearm. He hits his head on the ice. I just think it's a ridiculous decision by Ekblad," he said.

"I don't know how the refs look at that and don't call a penalty, let alone a major penalty. I love Tampa's response, give them full credit, but I just think he's going to get games for that. Guys, I think at least two. I think it's a bad hit," Bourne added.

Game 4 ended with the Florida Panthers defeating the Tampa Bay Lightning 4-2. The Panthers lead the best-of-seven series 3-1, one win away from advancing to the next round.