Ekblad’s return to Panthers from suspension in Game 3 of Eastern 1st Round ‘wasn’t easy’

SUNRISE, Fla. -- Aaron Ekblad is already prepared to put his first NHL game in seven weeks behind him.

The Florida Panthers defenseman returned Saturday after serving a 20-game suspension for violating the terms of the NHL/NHLPA Performance Enhancing Substances Program. Ekblad finished minus-4 in 20:20 of ice time in a 5-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference First Round at Amerant Bank Arena.

“It felt like every time I went to make a pass out there, it was knocked down,” Ekblad said. “I think it got better and better as the game went on, but I just couldn’t find any easy plays out there. … When I was out there, the puck happened to go into our net. That’s a tough spot to be in, but that’s the playoffs.

“You have to refocus, get ready for the next one. Onward and upward.”

Florida leads the best-of-7 series 2-1 and will host Game 4 on Monday (7 p.m. ET; FDSNSUN, SCRIPPS, ESPN, SN, TVAS).

Ekblad said he would have had some nerves before Game 3 even had he not missed the previous 20. The 29-year-old admitted he had butterflies prior to his first game back, which was played on a bigger stage than his previous appearance on March 8.

“It was the same feeling I have always had going into every playoff game,” he said. “Obviously, it’s a tough thing to do, coming in during the middle of a series after missing 20 games. I missed a lot of time.

“It wasn’t easy. The nerves, the anxiety were big, there’s no doubt about it. I am happy to get my feet under me in a game.”

When the suspension was announced last month, Ekblad released a statement through the NHL Players' Association expressing "shock" that he had failed a random drug test.

"Ultimately, I made a mistake by taking something to help me recover from recent injuries without first checking with proper medical and team personnel," the statement read. "I have let my teammates, the Panthers organization and our great fans down. For that, I am truly sorry. I have accepted responsibility for my mistake and will be fully prepared to return to my team when my suspension is over. I have learned a hard lesson and cannot wait to be back with my teammates."

He received a loud cheer from the crowd when he touched the puck for the first time Saturday, something he said he not only heard but appreciated. But Panthers fans didn’t have much to cheer about after Lightning forwards Jake Guentzel (one goal, two assists) and Nikita Kucherov (three assists) each had three points to help Tampa Bay get its first win of the series.

Ekblad’s defense partner, Gustav Forsling, was also minus-4.

“It was nice,” Ekblad said of the initial response from the crowd. “Really nice. I can’t imagine they would give me an ovation right now, though.”

NHL.com senior writer Amalie Benjamin contributed to this report