"Aaron Ekblad turtling like a true Panther": NHL fans react as Bolts' Scott Sabourin slams Florida D-man into boards and follows hit with headshots

Fans reacted as Tampa Bay Lightning forward Scott Sabourin slammed Florida Panthers defenseman Aaron Ekblad into the boards and followed up with headshots during Saturday’s heated preseason matchup.

The incident occurred early in the first period. Ekblad was trying to clear the puck behind the Panthers net when Sabourin caught him with a hard check into the boards. As Ekblad tried to get back up, Sabourin dropped the gloves and landed several left-handed punches to his head.

Ekblad fell to the ice holding his head, prompting players from both sides to jump in before officials stepped in. Ekblad didn't return after the incident.

Fans voiced their opinions on the hit on social media, with one commenting:

"Aaron Ekblad turtling like a true Panther."

Another wrote:

"Sabourin should be suspended. But also Florida players who throw out dirty hits constantly deserve it :)”

Here are some more fan reactions:

"That’s what you get for fucking with hagel. About time someone stepped up and humbled those cats. He might actually see 6 nhl games this year now," one wrote. "You can’t punch a defenceless player in the head multiple times. You just can’t. Predatory behaviour with a lengthy suspension coming," another wrote. "Lmfao bet that, we won’t forget that. No Barky or Matthew don’t matter we will get our lick back. Believe it," a user commented. "Ekblad gonna dip into that PED stash to recover from that one," another wrote.

The Panthers had the final say on the scoreboard, crushing the Lightning 7-0, a strong response after losing 5-2 to Tampa Bay on Thursday.

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Florida Panthers dominate Lightning 7-0 in fiery preseason finale

Evan Rodrigues led the charge with a hat-trick, while Mackie Samoskevich added two goals. Jeff Petry and Jack Studnicka also found the back of the net for Florida, while Sergei Bobrovsky stopped all 15 shots.

For Tampa Bay, Andrei Vasilevskiy gave up six goals on 26 shots. He was replaced by Pheonix Copley, who made 11 saves in relief.

The game was pure chaos, featuring over 300 combined penalty minutes and 13 ejections. In the first period alone, four major penalties and multiple game misconducts were handed out to players on both sides.

The Panthers now turn their attention to the regular season, which begins Tuesday against the Chicago Blackhawks.

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Edited by Bhargav