Panthers’ Aaron Ekblad to return to lineup in Game 3 after serving 20-game suspension

Aaron Ekblad is back in action.

Having served his 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program, the Florida Panthers veteran defenseman is set to return to the lineup for Game 3 of the opening-round series of the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs versus the Atlantic Division rival Tampa Bay Lightning, Panthers head coach Paul Maurice confirmed Friday per team reporter Jameson Olive.

Maurice added that Ekblad will return to his spot on the team’s top defensive pairing as well as his role in the team’s powerplay and penalty kill formations.

For Ekblad, his last appearance came March 8 against the Buffalo Sabres where through nearly 23 minutes of ice time he finished with one assist, a plus-one rating, and two penalty minutes en route to a 4-0 victory. On the season, the 29-year-old native of Windsor, Ont., saw 56 showings with Florida in which he scored three times and added 30 assists for 33 points coupled with a plus-11 rating and 53 penalty minutes while averaging 23:31 in time on ice per game, second most on the Panthers behind fellow rearguard Seth Jones.

Originally chosen atop the 2014 NHL Draft, Ekblad has since seen 11 seasons and 732 career contests with the Panthers in which he has collected 118 goals and 262 assists for 380 points. In 2021-22, Ekblad reached a career-high 57 points counting 15 goals and 42 assists coming in 61 games. Ekblad has also tallied 20 points through 64 postseason appearances including one goal and five assists through 24 games en route to the franchise’s first-ever Stanley Cup championship last spring.

Entering Game 3 versus the Lightning on Saturday, the Panthers will look to take a commanding three-game series lead following 6-2 and 2-0 victories in Games 1 and 2, respectively. Game 4 comes Monday in Florida.