“Slowly getting our guys back” – Brandon Hagel set to play for Lightning in Game 1 of Eastern Final
Follow Us
Brandon Hagel
Young Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel missed his third straight practice on Sunday, but he will be available for Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Final on Wednesday, believes coach Jon Cooper.
Notably, the Lightning have not taken the ice since May 23, when they completed a four-game sweep of the Florida Panthers in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference Second Round. They will now face the winner of the series (Game 7) between the New York Rangers and Carolina Hurricanes, taking place at PNC Arena on Monday.
“We’re slowly getting our guys back and trying to get them in a rhythm as we kind of amp it up here for whoever we’re going to play,” Cooper said, as quoted by NHL.com. “We’re trying to inch along here to kind of replicate something we might see on Wednesday. It’s nearly impossible to do, but we had a little more structure. The focus today, as I said, is a little bit more physical contact instead of a kind of wide-open scrimmage.”
“More about how we’re doing as opposed to who we’re playing”
Hagel, 23, has played each of the Lightning’s 11 games this postseason, before his foot was struck by a puck in Game 2 against Carolina. Following this, the Saskatoon native has been dealing with it.
Also Read | “Something I’ll always remember” – Maple Leafs’ Jason Spezza announces retirement after 19 NHL seasons
“I’m more about how we’re doing as opposed to who we’re playing,” Cooper said. “We’ll have enough time to dig into them. If it’s Carolina, we’ve played them a ton including the playoffs. The Rangers, we haven’t played near as much, so they’ll be a little bit different.
“They play two contrasting styles as well, but we’ve played them both in their type of styles. So, we know what we’re up against.”
Stay Updated!
Sachin Arora
(2527 Articles Published)