Can Brandon Hagel keep the Tampa Bay Lightning alive?

The fight was briefBut fruitful.

Juraj Slafkowski was drawn Brandon Hagel Away from a close scrum Montreal Canadiens‘Net. Hagel went visor to visor with the Canadian winger and told him to drop the gloves. Slafkowski agreed and threw a few punches in the back Tampa Bay Lightning Winger’s helmet. Hegel then dropped him with a right hook.

Lightning fans roared in Game 2, but the fight wasn’t for them. That was it for Hagel’s teammates, playing in a 1-1 game, knowing they were already down after an overtime loss in Game 1 of their series against the Canadiens.

“Everybody in the room knows we’re better when we play with emotion,” Hagel said. “Guys are willing to bring everybody into the fight. That’s what I was trying to do.”

The Lightning fight to win Game 2. Hagel scored the game’s opening goal and assisted on one goal. Nikita Kucherov Add in the goal fighting majors, and it was the first Gordie Howe hat trick in Tampa Bay playoff history.

“I never expected that to be honest,” she said with a laugh. “Whatever it takes to win. Sometimes you have to fight. It’s got to be scored.”

In five games, Hagel has six goals and one assist for the Lightning against Montreal. But Hagel failed to generate a point in their Game 5 loss, dropping the series to Tampa Bay 3-2 and on the brink of elimination in Friday night’s showdown at the Bell Center (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2) Hagel called his team’s effort “disappointing, to be honest” to fail to win at home.

“I think everybody, personally, when Game 6 is over, this team will learn a lot about themselves,” he said. “Not much else to say. I think it says a lot about our team and a lot about who we are as people.”

This is not the same Brandon Hagel that arrived in 2022 Chicago BlackhawksAlthough it was Brandon Hagel who the Lightning hoped he would become when they shocked the NHL. Two first round picks and two players flipped for him

“He does it all. He’s a 200-foot player, plays on both sides of the puck. And he’s obviously the hottest guy in the league right now,” the Lightning winger said. Jake Guentzel said

He is one of the most valuable players in the 2026 Stanley Cup playoffs. Hagel’s teammates refer to him as the “heartbeat” of the Lightning, from his clutch play to his physicality to his soaring vocal leadership.

“He’s the straw that keeps us going,” coach John Cooper said. “At the time he was traded, (what) seemed like a lot. The way he’s playing, it probably doesn’t seem like much today.”

How did Hagel find this next level in his game? Closer to the Lightning, they believe a pair of international tournaments have made the current edition.

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In April 2024The Lightning rolled to five games Florida Panthers In the first round, including digging an 0-3 hole against the Stanley Cup champions. Hagel had five points in the series but went scoreless in the losses in Games 2 and 3 and finished with a minus-5.

“We had opportunities to capitalize. We didn’t,” Hagel said after the series.

Hagel was playing through an injury. He could have called it a season, but there was a standing invitation from Hockey Canada to join his team at the IIHF World Championships in the Czech Republic. While it wasn’t a memorable tournament for Canada — losing to Sweden in the third-place game — it was was As for Hagel, who had three goals and four assists in 10 games. He played his way into the conversation for Team Canada at the next two major events: the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics.

Whether it was a Team Canada carrot or renewed confidence, Hagel fired out of a cannon to start the 2024-25 season with 12 goals and 19 assists in his first 24 games. He earned a roster spot for the 4 Nations Face-Off, a four-team tournament presented by the NHL and NHLPA in February 2025 that would further change the trajectory of Hagel’s career.

The United States and Canada met in the preliminary round in Montreal, the first battle between the hockey superpowers in a “best-on-best” tournament since the 2014 Sochi Olympics. Expectations were off the charts. Bell Center was a powder keg. Matthew Tkachuk Asked Hagel if he wanted to call it quits after the opening face-off.

Within two seconds of the game, Hagel and his heated rival from the Panthers threw fists, including one Three fights in the first nine seconds Between the United States and Canada. After they wrestled with the ice, Hagel rose and motioned the crowd to their feet.

“Trying to get some energy in the building. He asked and I’m not backing down from him. It’s been a long time coming,” Hagel said.

But the fight did not end there. When Matthew and Brady Tkachuk Gaining instant notoriety for their fighting, Hegel openly questioned their motivations. “What happened the other night, I did for the flag, not for the cameras,” he infamously said.

Hagel played four games to win gold at the 4 Nations, and then played six more games for Canada’s silver medalists at the Milan-Cortina Olympics, getting a chance to observe how players play. Sidney Crosby And Nathan McKinnon Work behind the scenes.

Hagel was 23 years old when the Lightning acquired him in March 2022, making him one of the youngest players in a veteran lineup that featured captain-like leaders. Steven Stamkos, Victor Hedman, Alex Killorn and Pat Maroon.

“We had a different team when he came in. Not necessarily older, but a lot of established players. A lot of guys who won on the 2020 and 2021 team,” Cooper recalled.

“Hagges didn’t come in gunfire. He came in and found his way. Where’s my niche? Let me see what I can do. And then he slowly started to elevate his game. He was forcing my hand to play him more and in all situations. That’s what you want from a player.”

Gradually, the veterans of those teams move on, because of injuries and the salary cap. The biggest change came in 2024 when Stamkos and the Lightning split, with the franchise’s all-time goal leader signing in Nashville.

The party needed more vocal leadership. Hegel’s voice grew louder.

“He doesn’t wear a letter now, but eventually he’s going to,” Cooper said. “There are people who have that trait and he has that.”

This was never more evident than in Game 4 against Montreal. The Lightning were trailing 2-1 in the series and needed an improvement — especially since Hedman, their captain, missed the entire series due to personal reasons. The Canadians were up 2-0 in the game. Hagel rose from the bench. He looks left, looks right and delivers an impressive and emphatic message to his teammates.

“Hagy is a competitor. He’s the heartbeat of this team. He got us back there,” the defenseman said Darren Radish said

The Lightning would eventually rally for the win.

“It’s one thing to say it. There’s just some people who mean it. It’s coming from their heart, their soul,” Cooper said. “You talk about progression of things that helped us during this game. I think that was a big part.”

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Despite all the rhetoric And fights and goals, Hagel’s team is still one loss away from ending the season in Game 6 in Montreal. Which means two extremely disappointing postseasons in a row for the Lightning winger for various reasons.

Tampa Bay lost to the Panthers in five games last year, before seeing its archrivals hoist the Stanley Cup again a few weeks later. Hagel played only three matches. The Panthers’ captain was suspended for Game 3 after the NHL Department of Player Safety called an “extremely forceful body check on an unsuspecting opponent” that injured him. Alexander Berkov.

Part of Hagel’s growth is trying to avoid those reactions, Cooper said.

“I think he walks a fine line because he’s a passionate player, and I think that’s what drives him, that’s why he’s had success,” he said. “But he really found a way to keep it in line.”

Hagel returned in Game 4 but played just 11 minutes, leaving the game and the series after elbowing a Panthers defenseman in the head. Aaron OakliffThat earned Eckblad a two-game suspension. Radish said the Lightning players will see how much it means to Hagel to be in the playoff lineup a year from now.

“I know when he was out, he was in the locker room, he was still giving speeches. He was trying to get guys going. He cares and that’s what you want in a hockey player,” Radish said. “So to have him play and be a big part of our team again this year is huge for us.”

Despite now being an integral part of the franchise, Hagel was not with the Lightning for their Stanley Cup win. 2020 And 2021. His first season saw a dynasty collapse, thanks to the avalanche of te 2022 Stanley Cup Finals. He is one of the few Tampa Bay players without a Stanley Cup ring.

“There’s a push for guys who don’t have one to get a ring, and Hagel is leading that charge,” Cooper said.

Needed by any means.