Lightning’s Brandon Hagel fined as aggressor in altercation with Sabres’ Rasmus Dahlin

There are some extended consequences following one of the craziest games we have seen in a long time.

On Monday, the NHL Department of Player Safety fined Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel $5,000 for “serving as the aggressor in an altercation” with Buffalo Sabres defenseman Rasmus Dahlin.

The incident in question occurred early in the second period between the teams on Sunday night. Hagel decided that he was going to target the Sabres captain and grabbed the Swedish defenseman. After it became clear that Dahlin had no intentions of fighting, Hagel decided he would express his frustrations by punching Dahlin multiple times in the back of the head before taking him down to the ice.

It led to a full-fledged donnybrook, and not the first of the game either. Even Sabres goaltender Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen came out of his net to come to his teammate’s aid. The only penalty handed out in the skirmish was a double-minor for roughing against Hagel.

The fine is the maximum allowable under the current collective bargaining agreement. The money goes to the Players’ Emergency Assistance Fund.

That wasn’t the only time Hagel was sent to the box on Sunday. He totaled 11 minutes in penalties, as he also fought Sabres forward Peyton Krebs in the first period, and was called for boarding Tage Thompson just a few minutes into the game. Hagel ended up with a goal and an assist as well to complete the Gordie Howe Hat Trick.

It was a small part of a wild game in western New York. The teams combined for a total of 27 penalties, five fighting majors and 102 penalty minutes, with the Sabres, who squandered a 3-0 lead, rallying back to win the game 8-7. According to OptaSTATS, it was the largest combination of goals and penalties since Feb. 21, 1994, when the Montreal Canadiens and Philadelphia Flyers reached that total.

This isn’t the first time Hagel has received supplemental discipline. He was suspended for Game 3 of the Bolts’ first-round series against the Florida Panthers last spring for hitting Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. Hagel was also fined for boarding Panthers forward Eetu Luostarinen during the 2022 playoffs.

The Lightning and Sabres will meet one more time before the Stanley Cup Playoffs, that coming in Buffalo on April 6.