The Florida Panthers defeated the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 4 of their Round 1 series on Monday, April 28, winning by a final score of 4-2 to grab a 3-1 stranglehold heading into Tampa, Fla., for Game 5 later in the week.
The Panthers erased a 3-2 deficit late in the third period thanks to goals from Aaron Ekblad and Seth Jones. Carter Verhaeghe added an empty-net goal as insurance.
However, an incident during the third period will almost certainly result in a key member of Florida’s blue line facing a potential suspension; it would force his club to make other arrangements for a potential replacement depending on the severity of his punishment.
Panthers’ Niko Mikkola Ejected After Dangerous Hit on Zemgus Girgensons
During the third period, Panthers defenseman Niko Mikkola hit Tampa Bay’s Zemgus Girgensons, who was already down on the ice and in a prone position, from behind.
Mikkola got a 5-minute major for hitting Girgensons while he was already down 😬 pic.twitter.com/RkELUFd8JS
— B/R Open Ice (@BR_OpenIce) April 29, 2025
Mikkola was slapped with a five-minute major penalty for boarding and thrown out of the game; because he was ejected because of a major penalty, it automatically triggers a review from the NHL Department of Player Safety.
The Lightning proved unable to score during the five-minute power play, which ultimately came back to bite them thanks to Florida’s pair of late goals in the period to take the lead.
Mikkola has gone scoreless in the first five games of the postseason, averaging 18:42 of ice time per game while also racking up 10 penalty minutes.
He could very well be the second suspension of this particular series in less than a week. Lightning forward Brandon Hagel was hit with a one-game suspension after his dangerous and late hit on Aleksander Barkov in the third period of Game 2 at Tampa’s Amalie Arena.
Mikkola Is Playing in His 2nd Season With the Panthers
A native of Imatra, Finland, Mikkola was selected in the fifth round (127th overall pick) of the 2015 NHL Draft by the St. Louis Blues. He spent the first portion of his NHL career with the Blues before being dealt to the New York Rangers alongside teammate Vladimir Tarasenko at the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline.
Mikkola signed a three-year, $7.5 million contract with Florida in the 2023 offseason; he can become an unrestricted free agent in 2026.
In 328 career NHL games, Mikkola has scored 14 goals with 48 assists along with a +15 rating. He’s also added two goals with six assists in 50 career postseason games and helped Florida win the Stanley Cup last season.