10/6/25 5:35 PM: The NHL has also issued punishments to the Lightning organization and Lightning head coach Jon Cooper “for their actions culminating in the events” of Saturday’s contest, according to an official announcement.
The Lightning have been fined $100K, while Cooper himself has been fined $25K. Both fines were levied by the NHL’s Hockey Operations department and will go to charitable causes.
10/6/25 5:15 PM: Tampa Bay Lightning forward Scott Sabourin has been suspended four games for roughing committed against Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad, the NHL Department of Player Safety announced today.
The play in question happened early in the Lightning’s preseason game Saturday in Florida. Sabourin delivered a clean check on Ekblad behind the net, but then after the check he, as the Department of Player Safety termed it in their ruling video, “delivered an un-gloved sucker punch to the head” of Ekblad. They noted a few key aspects that prompted such a significant suspension, which has been levied on top of the game misconduct Sabourin was already assessed.
Firstly, the Department of Player Safety noted that Sabourin delivered “a forceful, ungloved punch directly to Ekblad’s face.” They also took into account the previous history between the two clubs and the situation of the game to come to the conclusion that Sabourin’s actions were “intentional” and done “for the purpose of retribution and message-sending.”
Sabourin’s suspension is notable because he is not a full-time NHL player. Since the start of the 2022-23 season, Sabourin has played in just four NHL games and was originally reassigned to the Lightning’s AHL affiliate, the Syracuse Crunch, on Oct. 1 before he was called up on Oct. 4 for the team’s preseason contest against the Panthers.
Since he is likely to be back in Syracuse to begin the season – and for an indefinite period moving forward – this suspension will likely not have a short-term impact on Sabourin’s ability to dress for games. This four-game suspension does not apply in the AHL, meaning Sabourin must be on an NHL roster for four games in order for the suspension to be considered served.
Seeing as Sabourin has just four NHL games played over the last two seasons, it’s entirely possible that the 33-year-old AHL bruiser could face a long wait until his NHL game.
This is not Sabourin’s first time receiving supplemental discipline in his professional career, though it is his first NHL suspension. In 2020, he was fined $1.9K for unsportsmanlike conduct when he squirted an opposing player with a water bottle from the bench. In the AHL, Sabourin also has some disciplinary history: he was assessed an automatic one-game suspension after receiving an instigator penalty in 2017, suspended one game in 2021, and three games in 2024.
Sabourin is not the only Lightning player who is set to miss time due to conduct stemming from the same game. Defenseman J.J. Moser also had a hearing today with the Department of Player Safety, and was levied a two-game suspension. In Moser’s case, he has earned this suspension for boarding Panthers forward Jesper Boqvist. He was, like Sabourin, also assessed a game misconduct for the play.
The play in question occurred late in the first period, when Boqvist went to retrieve a puck in the offensive zone. Moser closed in on the Panthers forward and delivered a hit that the Department of Player Safety said drove “a defenseless Boqvist dangerously into the wall.”
The Department noted that the play was not a result of a sudden movement by Boqvist that changed a would-be legal body check into an illegal one – instead they noted that there was a level of intentionality from Moser in the play. Moser has not been fined or suspended thusfar in his NHL career, which alongside the nature of the play itself may have contributed in his lighter suspension compared to Sabourin.
Photo courtesy of Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports
It will take roughly, six years for Sabourin to serve the suspension.
Sounds well worth it for the well deserved punishment of Ekblad for Hagel in last year’s cup game.
Bravo to Scott Sabourin!! Ekblad deserved it. J.J. Moser got 2 games which seems rather high as Jesper Boqvist wasn’t even hurt and got right up smh.
The thing that annoys me is Ekblad only got 2 games for his international headshot to Hagel. While Greer just got a measly fine for blatant and intentional punches on Hagel. DoPS definitely shows biased favoritism towards one team over another. Inconsistent to say the least.
Also, how did Carter Verhaeghe not get any disciplinary action especially since he received a match penalty for intentionally diving into Zemgus Girgensons and slamming his head into the boards smh? DoPS is a joke.
WTF! Cooper and the organization also got fined for the events?!? Yet, Florida goes unscathed?!? What absolute B.S.
Oh man, is NHL playing such favoritism. What a crock!
It feels right. It’s the same sort of fines that the Islanders got hit with after the famous Fight Night, Sabourin has about the same skill level as Gillies. That night was retribution for the previous Islanders/Penguins game, sort of like this one
I guess. Sabourin had 18 goals in the A two years ago. Gillies’ career high in 18 years of pro hockey was 2 goals lmao. Also, players from both the Isles and the Penguins were suspended. I think Cooper was smart putting out a mostly AHL squad, to be honest, and we can now see why — Verhaeghe decked Girgensens with a dangerous hit, and didn’t get suspended.
@yeasties – Sabourin’s suspension isn’t the complaint here. What the problem is Florida gets no reprimands especially on the Verhaeghe boarding hit which Girgensons got injured on. Florida got no fines to their coach and organization as they were just as guilty. I mean the NHL looks really bad in this by showing favoritism in their disciplinary proceedings.
Yeah, I agree with Sabourin’s suspension. Regardless of whether Ekblad is a piece of sh*t, guys can’t just headhunt like that. Greer not getting suspended, Moser getting suspended, Verhaeghe not getting suspended, and Cooper getting a big fine is out of whack, though.
@frozenaquatic – Yes, it is out of whack with this disciplinary process. Totally ridiculous.
I’m not a Lightning fan, but I think the game is better with Hagel playing, and if the league isn’t going to come down on Greer attacking and injuring him — crosscheck from behind, stick to the face, sucker punch, sucker punch — I genuinely don’t see what choice the Lightning had.
@frozenaquatic – I respect that your at least objective and fair in your assessment on the matter. Can’t say that with certain individuals on these boards. Anyway, you are correct. What choice did Tampa have in the matter. It’s ridiculous by the league.
When the NHL’s VP of hockey ops has a son as assistant GM on a team, it’s pretty easy to see what’s going on. The Campbell’s conflict of interest should be a much bigger story.
It’s a conspiracy theory, but then again, Colin’s emails definitely showed impropriety way back to Marc Savard’s career-ending concussion. So maybe it’s not that much of a stretch.
Exactly, that’s why it’s one of the few conspiracy theories I tend to believe since there’s proof he used his position of power to influence games in the past. We also know the NHL is an old boys club who investigate themselves. So I’m not sure what would’ve changed in the last 15 years other than executives being less dumb and making sure there’s no paper trail.
Ha ha ha b#@ach.
Hagel only got hurt on account of his glass jaw. Dry your tears. It’s too long a season for you to cry from October to April( everyone knows you’ll be crying in April).
@Rollie – wait a minute, are you saying and correct me if I’m wrong, but are you claiming the NHL’s VP of Hockey Operations has a son that is an assistant GM on the Florida Panthers?!?
@FeeltheThunder Oh no. Not at all! That kind of conflict of interest surely wouldn’t fly! The NHL has always been a beacon of integrity, with an unquestionable track record of fairness and transparency. Such a suggestion would be blasphemous! I must have my facts wrong.
@Rollie – I caught your tongue-in-cheek response. No, you don’t have your facts wrong, my man. Colin Campbell, the NHL Vice President of Hockey Operations, has a son, Gregory Campbell, who is the Assistant General Manager of the Florida Panthers.
That explains so much on why Florida gets away with so much lowball and foul tactics…corruption through and through. Integrity doesn’t exist between the NHL operations & the Florida organization. It puts into question if their Cup wins are tainted when they have the league executives in their hip pocket, you could say.
u racist how dare you like Heetlar
Wow, f*ck DoPS. They are not making the game safer. You think the Lightning aren’t gonna have a bigger chip on their shoulder after Moser is suspended and Verhaeghe isn’t.
Good. Fine that goon squad organization
I understand it is to save travel and costs, but why do teams that are blood rivals play each other in pre-season. It is like the Devils scheduling the Rangers, Islanders, Flyers all the time. Only leads to this stuff.
Guentzel was hit with a cheap shot in game 1 last year by Tkachuk. Hagel retaliated by hitting Barkov with a cheap shot in game 2 and was suspended. Hagel was then hit by an Ekblad cheap shot. Greer delivered an unprovoked attack on Hagel in Thursday’s preseason game. This led to Sabourin attacking Ekblad and also wanting to fight Greer and that was an ugly event. Panther fans and their announcers act as if they did nothing to provoke the Lightning for what happened Saturday? The Panthers have been a great team for the last five years and the DOPS seems to give them a pass. I don’t blame the Lightning for taking matters into their own hands and it should be an eventful season and this is the best rivalry in the league.
This is a pretty accurate recap. I’d add that some other teams will have scores to settle with Bennett’s goalie-seeking forearm shiver.
Panthers fans who act as if they didn’t have this coming are clueless. Greer, Gadjovich, Kunin are out to hammer people. Obviously Bennett and Marchand are great and “dirty” players. Teams in the east are tired of their BS and Tampa claiming a 6’9 AHL enforcer today is not coincidence. The Panthers have no right to get pissed when other teams start targeting their players.
Great job laying out the chronology to add valuable context. The lighting got over the hump and won the cup in 2020 and 2021 and if were not for the loss of Brayden Point for most of 2022, may have won that cup as well, as they fell in 6 games, losing a couple in overtime.
They got there because they could play the game any way you want, and be better at it then their opponents. Florida, similarly became the hardest team to play against and have won 2 cups deservedly so.
Snoop dog said it best back in the 90’s “want some – get some – bad enough – take some” Winning is an intention and commitment, not an arbitrary and random occurrence.
The lightning to a man were simply demonstrating their willingness and commitment to match and exceed whatever the opponent wants to throw at them. There was no emotion in their interviews regarding events.
The Panthers, like all champs, have a target on their back.