“You could hear Girgensons’s groan after this… crunching hit,” said the announcer as they replayed Niko Mikkola’s hit on Zemgus Girgensons during the broadcast. The infraction from the defenseman came just 19 seconds into the third period, after Tampa Bay had scored two goals in 11 seconds to snatch the lead from Florida. Yet, what was truly bizarre was that Mikkola might not have gotten into trouble if he hadn’t lost his cool.

That’s because the Florida Panthers defenseman didn’t get ejected for his initial hit. The 29-year-old hit Girgensons to stop him from skating away with the puck behind the net. However, it was the follow-up hit that sealed the defenseman’s fate. Instead of backing off from an already downed Zemgus Girgensons, he smashed the Lightning forward into the boards and delivered a third hit when the Lightning forward was on the ground.

Luckily, Girgensons looked rattled but didn’t suffer any serious injuries and continued to play. Yet, that wasn’t enough to save Niko Mikkola from the punishment. The officials handed him two penalties while ejecting the 29-year-old. “Niko Mikkola receives a five-minute major and a game misconduct,” Sportsnet revealed on their post. What’s worse is that the defenseman did this right after the NHLPA handed Tampa Bay’s Brandon Hagel a suspension for committing a similar off-puck foul on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov. In fact, you could argue it wasn’t this severe.

The NHLPA called Hagel’s hit “an extremely forceful body check to an unsuspecting opponent,” while handing him the suspension. Meanwhile, Mikkola made contact a total of three times. So does that mean the league will now penalize the Panthers’ defensemen, too? Well, while we don’t know that Bolts fans have been asking a different question.

Will Niko Mikkola’s teammate face the music too?

While the NHL referees were swift to take action against Mikkola, fellow defenseman Aaron Ekblad committed another serious infraction shortly after. Yet, somehow, Ekblad’s infraction went under the radar as former Panthers’ adviser Chris Pronger put it: “The fact there was NO penalty is a tough look. Might get a DoPS call,”

The NHL Hall of Famer and the fans were surprised the refs didn’t penalize Ekblad because Hagel wasn’t as lucky as Girgensons. While the 31-year-old recovered from Niko Mikkola’s hits, Brandon Hagel went off the ice and did not return. Pronger also agreed with the general sentiment that the high forearm hit from Ekblad was something completely under his control.

Now the question is: Will Mikkola and Ekblad both get calls from the NHL Player Safety department? Pronger thinks it could be a possibility. After all, Hagel was handed his suspension after a phone call hearing. The league, however, is yet to take a call on Mikkola and Ekblad.

And while the Bolts fans are calling for further action, it’s something the Panthers would wish to avoid. Despite winning the fourth game 4-2 and taking a 3-1 series lead, losing two defensemen to suspensions is the last thing the Florida Panthers need in the heat of the playoffs. This would be especially true for Ekblad, who had just served a 20-match suspension and is coming into his own after two games.