“You never like to see anyone injured, and there’s definitely no intention to do that,” the Carolina Hurricanes’ Sebastian Aho told THN Florida before Game 5. Aho’s hit on Sam Reinhart in Game 2 had sidelined the Florida Panthers forward for two consecutive games, the last of which Florida lost 3-0. “I hope it is nothing too serious. It’s unfortunate. It’s so quick, it happens, but there’s no (bad intent), it’s just a hockey play.” But while Aho’s never really been seen as a dirty player, the same cannot be said about Matthew Tkachuk, who made sure to get back at the Canes’ forward by taking him down to the ice in Game 3. “Our team will stick up for each other,” said Tkachuk, not caring much for politeness. But as interesting and heated as this episode was, it came to a quiet conclusion as Reinhart made it back to the ice for the all-important Game 5. But there’s never really a dull moment with the Panthers, right? So while the dust settled on one hit saga, another reared its head. The star of the show this time? Aaron Ekblad.

Now, Ekblad is the one normally dishing out hits. He has skated into Game 5 with 34 of them, and not all of them have been clean. However, this time around, as hits started landing almost immediately after the opening buzzer, he was the one who found himself on the receiving end of a rather naughty one. Naturally, it created a lot of buzz.

However, it didn’t go the way you may think. Canes forward Andrei Svechnikov initiated an off-puck slash on the defenseman in the Panthers’ zone. The slash came in response to Ekblad hitting the NHL forward’s stick. “He chops him right in the back of the leg,” said the announcer as Ekblad hit the deck. And while an on-ice official immediately rushed over, Forsling and Ekblad jumped on Svechnikov in retaliation. And the reaction from the fans? It’s not what you’d expect. Or maybe it is exactly what you’d expect.

“Wicked slash from Svechnikov to Ekblad. Man, these players have no respect for one another these days,” the NHL Watcher posted on X. You’ll often see fans get furious at the player who intentionally commits serious infractions like slashing another on the leg. Yet, the reaction to Aaron Ekblad getting slashed as he skated away wasn’t one of empathy.

Instead, the fans didn’t sympathize with the 29-year-old, thanks to his decorated rap sheet. “Ekblad slashes, shoves, or hits someone after every whistle. If you can’t take it, don’t do it,” commented one indifferent hockey fan. Yet, you may be wondering why the NHL player on the receiving end of a hit didn’t earn almost any support outside of Panthers fans.

After all, fans became outraged when Edmonton Oilers’ defenseman Darnell Nurse slashed the Dallas Stars’ Roope Hintz and only got a 2-minute minor for it. Well, it’s a combination of factors, with Aaron Ekblad’s own play style and actions playing the biggest role in how the fans viewed the incident.

Aaron Ekblad has had his share of troubles recently

Among the various reasons, one could be that the defenseman didn’t really sustain any injuries. While Nurse’s slash on Roope Hintz’s foot put him the forward out of action for a game, Ekblad jumped right up. Gustav Forsling had already shoved Svechnikov into the boards in response, and Ekblad joined in moments later.

In fact, he was at the Hurricanes’ player’s throat even before the official could skate over to break up the fight. And that’s exactly what one fan pointed out. “Ekblad literally choked Svech in the scrum. Barehanded,” the netizen wrote. Aaron Ekblad’s instant recovery even prompted one fan to allege that the NHL player overreacted. “2 min for embellishment,” the NHL fan commented.

Well, the defenseman did earn a penalty. “Carolina no. 37, minor penalty for slashing. Florida, no. 5 minor penalty for roughing,” said the official before resuming play. Yet, these weren’t the only reasons why fans left comments like, “We really feeling bad for Ekblad right now? Stop it.”

So why the disdain, you ask? Well, that’s because Aaron Ekblad has recently spent more games on the beach for suspension than on the ice. Firstly, Ekblad served a 20-game ban, which started in the regular season and didn’t end until Florida’s Game 2 against the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The league banned Ekblad after violating the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. “Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel,” said the player, but not everyone got on board with the explanation. Then came the off-puck hit against Brandon Hagel.

Aaron Ekblad hit Brandon Hagel with an intentional elbow in Game 4 against the Tampa Bay Lightning. While the referees didn’t notice the hit, the fans called for action against the Florida Panthers defenseman. The result? Another two-game suspension for the dirty hit.

However, this time it’s not like everyone spoke against the defenseman. Some took his side and blamed the league. “Well, it’s OK now since the NHL & refs had no accountability when Dallas’ best player was taken out with an intentional slash, then intentionally slashed again the next game,” commented one fan criticizing the NHL’s inconsistency. “The slash was seen as a typical one worthy of a minor, and the league judges based on the action itself, not the outcome,” wrote beat reporter Lia Assimakopoulos after the NHL ruled Nurse wouldn’t face any action.

The fan also brought up what happened in Game 4, when Evan Bouchard once again slashed Hintz in the foot. The incident happened as both skated off the ice, and went unnoticed as Hintz himself didn’t bother to respond. And so the fan wasn’t happy that Aaron Ekblad also earned a minor penalty for retaliating. But what’s your opinion on the incident involving Ekblad and Svechnikov? Tell us in the comments.