Lightning hit with horrible news during huge series against the Canadiens
Brandon Hagel was missing for Jon Cooper on Monday, and that is a real problem for the Tampa Bay Lightning before Game 5.
That was the biggest development out of Tampa. In a series tied 2-2 with Montreal, Hagel was the only regular missing from team practice.
That is why the mood shifted fast. No official reason was given right away, and when one of your hottest forwards is suddenly not on the ice, people notice.
Hagel has been all over this series. He has 6 goals through 4 games and has been one of the main reasons Tampa kept pulling this matchup back toward even ground.
He has also been in the middle of the nastier side of the series. He dropped the gloves with Juraj Slafkovsky in Game 2 and has played right on the edge shift after shift.
So this is not some depth story for the Lightning. This is one of their most dangerous wingers, and maybe their best player in the series to this point, suddenly not practicing.
The lineup look without him said plenty too. Cooper rotated Conor Geekie next to Brayden Point and Nikita Kucherov on the top line during the session.
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Tampa Bay can't afford a limited Brandon Hagel
That is the real issue now. Even if Hagel plays, the Lightning do not need him at half speed in a series this tight.
Tampa can survive a bad shift from a bottom-six player. It is much harder to survive losing a winger who has 6 goals in 4 games and drives pace the way Hagel does.
The rest of the practice sheet added more context. Scott Sabourin remained in the forward mix with Corey Perry, while Pontus Holmberg was still out as expected.
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On defense, Victor Hedman and Charles-Edouard D'Astous were on the ice, but only as extra defensemen for the moment. That left Hagel's absence standing out even more.
The irony is hard to miss. Hagel has been one of the players throwing the most physical pressure at Montreal, especially at Slafkovsky, and now he may be the one feeling the wear of this series.
For Cooper, this becomes a real coach problem before a massive game. If Hagel cannot go, Tampa loses finish, edge, and one of the few forwards who has consistently looked like a direct threat every time he jumps over the boards.
And if he does play, Montreal is still going to test him early. That is how this series works now.
The series is tied 2-2, and that already made Game 5 heavy enough. Hagel missing practice just made it heavier for the Lightning.
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APRIL 28, 2026
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| G | A | PTS | ||
| Rasmus Dahlin | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Miro Heiskanen | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Elias Lindholm | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Mats Zuccarello | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Matt Duchene | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ryan Hartman | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Kirill Kaprizov | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jason Robertson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Tage Thompson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Jonathan Aspirot | - | - | - | |
| Oskar Back | - | - | - | |
| Jamie Benn | - | - | - | |
| Zach Benson | - | - | - | |
| Lian Bichsel | - | - | - | |
| Colin Blackwell | - | - | - | |
| Zach Bogosian | - | - | - | |
| Matthew Boldy | - | - | - | |
| Mavrik Bourque | - | - | - | |
| Bobby Brink | - | - | - | |
| COMPLETE STATS | ||||
| 2025-2026 NHL STANDINGS | ||||||
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Sabres | 82 | 50 | 23 | 9 | 109 | |
| Lightning | 82 | 50 | 26 | 6 | 106 | |
| Canadiens | 82 | 48 | 24 | 10 | 106 | |
| Bruins | 82 | 45 | 27 | 10 | 100 | |
| Senators | 82 | 44 | 27 | 11 | 99 | |
| Red Wings | 82 | 41 | 31 | 10 | 92 | |
| Panthers | 82 | 40 | 38 | 4 | 84 | |
| Maple Leafs | 82 | 32 | 36 | 14 | 78 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Hurricanes | 82 | 53 | 22 | 7 | 113 | |
| Penguins | 82 | 41 | 25 | 16 | 98 | |
| Flyers | 82 | 43 | 27 | 12 | 98 | |
| Capitals | 82 | 43 | 30 | 9 | 95 | |
| Blue Jackets | 82 | 40 | 30 | 12 | 92 | |
| Islanders | 82 | 43 | 34 | 5 | 91 | |
| Devils | 82 | 42 | 37 | 3 | 87 | |
| Rangers | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Avalanche | 82 | 55 | 16 | 11 | 121 | |
| Stars | 82 | 50 | 20 | 12 | 112 | |
| Wild | 82 | 46 | 24 | 12 | 104 | |
| Mammoth | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Blues | 82 | 37 | 33 | 12 | 86 | |
| Predators | 82 | 38 | 34 | 10 | 86 | |
| Jets | 82 | 35 | 35 | 12 | 82 | |
| Blackhawks | 82 | 29 | 39 | 14 | 72 | |
| GP | W | L | OL | PTS | ||
| Golden Knights | 82 | 39 | 26 | 17 | 95 | |
| Oilers | 82 | 41 | 30 | 11 | 93 | |
| Ducks | 82 | 43 | 33 | 6 | 92 | |
| Kings | 82 | 35 | 27 | 20 | 90 | |
| Sharks | 82 | 39 | 35 | 8 | 86 | |
| Kraken | 82 | 34 | 37 | 11 | 79 | |
| Flames | 82 | 34 | 39 | 9 | 77 | |
| Canucks | 82 | 25 | 49 | 8 | 58 | |
COMPLETE STANDINGS | ||||||