Hagel the heartbeat: 38’s spark felt by Bolts beyond the ice

Actions speak louder than words.

Call it an idiom, a cliche, or whatever you think the phrase is worth, but it holds merit. Still, Tampa Bay Lightning forward Brandon Hagel has found a way to lead through both actions and words so far during the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. 

His on-ice contributions can’t be ignored—he leads the league with an impressive six goals—but his fellow Bolts over the past few days have credited Hagel for his work outside the 200-foot ice sheet, saying it might be even more impressive.

“Haggy’s a competitor…He's the heartbeat of this team,” defenseman Darren Raddysh said. “He brings a lot of energy.”

Beyond the game sheet

A quick glance at the boxscore from Game 4 shows Hagel posted yet another impressive performance. He scored the game-tying goal in the opening stanza of the third period and then evened the First Round series against the Montreal Canadiens with the game-winning tally at the net with under five minutes to play in the 3-2 win.

The game sheet, though, only shows the numbers behind Hagel’s on-ice contributions in Game 4, and the 27-year-old forward brought much more than offense.

With the Lightning trailing Montreal 2-0 late in the second period last Sunday, it was Hagel who rallied Tampa Bay on the bench. He stood up to share an impassioned message with his teammates, and it resonated.

“He has a high standard for himself and the team. He’s definitely vocal,” Oliver Bjorkstrand said. “You can see it through his game, the intensity he plays with, and it feeds down the lineup. I think that was just a moment where he wanted to make that clear to the guys, and the message got to us. He led the way there.”

Tampa Bay then scored three unanswered goals—two from Hagel—for a comeback victory that stunned the Canadiens faithful at the Bell Centre in Montreal.

“He's definitely become the straw that stirs our drink,” coach Jon Cooper said of Hagel.

“Even when we went down 2-0, his passion on the bench and when he stood up and looked both ways literally, I think, captivated the bench with what he was saying and the message he was delivering. But it's one thing to say it. There's just guys, like, they mean it. It is coming from their heart, their soul. And you talk about the progression of things that helped us during this game, I think that was a big part of it.”

Hagel holds seven points in four games this postseason, already more than he posted over 23 games during the 2022 Stanley Cup Playoffs to help the Lightning reach the Stanley Cup Final.

‘He just does it all’

Multiple players have tagged Hagel as the team’s best player this postseason, and some have argued—with merit—that he might be the top performer of any team so far.

“This guy, he just does it all,” Jake Guentzel said after Game 4. “He’s a 200-foot player, plays on both sides of the puck, and he's the hottest guy in the league right now. He's done it all year, and obviously he's a special player for our team. It’s been fun to watch. It's been fun to be out there with him, and he’s one of the best players in the league for a reason.”

Raddysh echoed the message, saying Hagel was one of the more prominent voices in the locker room even during the 2025 Stanley Cup Playoffs while he was out of the lineup due to injury.

That passion inhabits the Lightning room every day. Nothing quiets Hagel, as evidenced when the forward became the first player in franchise history to post a playoff Gordie Howe hat trick—a goal, assist and fight in one game—to help the Lightning win Game 2.

“He's on pucks, he's fearless,” Raddysh said. “He's doing all the right things, and that's just how he plays. The emotions are going to come out in the playoffs, and he's a big-game player. Having him on our team is really great.”

Tampa Bay’s coach referenced that same Hagel emotion at the airport on Sunday when the team returned home from Montreal to prepare for Game 5 tonight at Benchmark International Arena.

Hagel has grown as a player from when he first became a Bolt via a March 2022 trade with the Chicago Blackhawks, and the Lightning are benefitting every day. He’s grown as a leader, too.

“Hags didn’t come guns ablazing,” Jon Cooper said…“He was forcing my hand to play him more, forced my hand to play him in all situations. And that's what you want in a player.

“I think he's been around long enough now to know some leadership's changed, and he's eventually gonna be part of that group. He may not wear a letter now, but eventually he's going to. There’s certain guys that have that trait, and he has it.”

That leadership comes with a balance of emotion and talent, and it’s been center stage for the hockey world to appreciate all series. It’s a big reason why Tampa Bay has a chance to take a series lead on Wednesday night.

Game 5 is set for 7 p.m.