Brandon Hagel: Lightning's Playoff Hero

0:00On April 27th, Brandon Hagel is owning the playoffs for the Tampa Bay Lightning, leading all scores with six goals and just four games against the Montreal Canadians. His two goals in game four flipped the deficit into a three to two win, tying the best of seven series at two games each. Down zero to two midway through the second period, Hagel fired up his teammates from the bench, promising to take charge. Right after, Max Crozier laid a big hit. J. Gwincell scored to make it one-to-one late in the period, and Hagel delivered with a power playtip and a net front bounce in the third. Coach John Cooper compared it to a Mart Messier guarantee, calling Hagel the straw that stirs their drink. Teammates like Gwincell rave about his two-way play, saying he's the hottest guy going and elevates everyone around him. Hagel's not just scoring, he's got playoff leading takeaways, plenty of penalty minutes, and he sparked lines with Gwincell, Kucherov, and even. Braden point in his best game yet, series heads to Tampa for game five on Wednesday, and with Hoggel's grit and fire, the Lightning look ready to roll deep into these playoffs.

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