The NHL Department of Player Safety handed out multiple infractions on Monday to members of the Florida Panthers, as winger Ryan Lomberg received an automatic one game suspension, and interim head coach Andrew Brunette received a $10,000 fine. Both received it for instigating in the final five minutes of regulation.
The incident occurred in Sunday night’s game between the Panthers and the Tampa Bay Lightning, as both teams got into a few fights with less than four minutes left in a blowout 8-4 game for the Lightning. Lomberg got into a fight with Lightning defenseman Erik Cernak, and received an instigator penalty and a game misconduct, the instigation being an automatic suspension in the final five minutes of a game. Brunette also received a game misconduct during the incident, which is what resulted in his fine. Panthers forwards Jonathan Huberdeau and Mason Marchment also received game misconducts, although their reasons for getting ejected haven’t received any supplementary discipline at the moment.
Lomberg is in his second season of getting somewhat regular ice time in the NHL, with nine goals and 17 points in 53 games. Brunette has helped make sure that the Panthers didn’t miss a beat when former head coach Joel Quenneville resigned from the role, as the team has gone 51-16-6 when he took over as interim head coach, the second most points in the league after the Colorado Avalanche.
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