The Tampa Bay Lightning are currently down 2-1 in the series to the Montreal Canadiens. With that being said, every game so far has gone to overtime. The series couldn’t be any closer. One Lightning player who has been standing out the whole time, though, is Brandon Hagel.Â
Hagel was traded to Tampa Bay from the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022 for two first-round picks, Boris Katchouk, and Taylor Raddysh. Katchouk and Raddysh aren’t on the Blackhawks anymore, and the two firsts were used on Sacha Boisvert and Oliver Moore. The trade was what both teams needed at the time; the Lightning needed Hagel to boost their playoff run, and the Blackhawks needed to offload guys to tank for Connor Bedard. It was a win-win trade, and the value was met on both sides.Â
Hagel’s Playoff Performances Against Montreal
Hagel has arguably been the best player from the Lightning’s side this whole series. He’s been showing up consistently in the biggest moments of all of the games so far, and hasn’t shied away from anything.Â
The 27-year-old forward has had a goal in each of the three games. To kick off the series in Game 1, he had two of the three Lightning goals, including a power-play goal late in the middle of the third period to tie it at three. While Tampa Bay ended up dropping the game 4-3 in overtime, it still showed how clutch he can be.Â
Hagel kicked off Game 2 with a goal, and then, when challenged to a fight by 2022 first-overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky later on in the contest, he didn’t back down and accepted the challenge. Hagel, being at a size disadvantage compared to Slafkovsky, knocked him down with a right hand and then went to fire up the crowd at Amalie Arena. The Lightning went on to win that game with a goal from J.J. Moser in overtime. His goal and his being the hype man were definitely felt.Â
In the last game on Friday, Hagel had a goal in the second period, but ultimately, the Lightning ended up losing the game. That would be the third straight overtime contest, in which Canadiens’ young defensive star Lane Hutson clapped home the game-winning goal.Â
The Lightning Need Hagel to Stay HotÂ
Right now, Hagel is one of, if not the main, anchors of this playoff run. He has made a huge impact over the last three games, and with a series that is rocking back and forth, not only with the series score, but during the games as well, the way he’s brought the whole package so far is so important.Â
With Game 4 being at the Bell Centre, Hagel and company will need to find a way to step up and tie the series before they head back to Florida. The last thing they want is to lose Game 4 and go down 3-1 in the series, and even if you win Game 5 in Tampa Bay, having to go back to Montreal for Game 6 in a red-hot environment. Andrei Vasilevskiy has already begun to snap out of his first game skid and has upped his production in between the pipes throughout the last couple of games.Â
Hagel, at only $6.5 million per year until 2032, is a steal of a contract. With the cap rising, that’s going to look like one of the best contracts in the league — more than it already does. In total, Hagel has five points in three playoff games and is a plus-5. This follows a fantastic regular season, where he had 36 goals and 74 points in 71 games.Â
All the Lightning need Hagel to do is just keep up his presence on the ice. His ability to know where he needs to be and to be there first, and his work-hard, strong, hard-hat attitude thrives in the playoffs, and it’s shown throughout the last three games.
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