Video: Panthers' Lomberg Ejected For Charging Hurricanes' Raanta

In Saturday night's contest between the Florida Panthers and Carolina Hurricanes, forward Ryan Lomberg collided with goaltender Antti Raanta. This was after Raanta left the crease to retrieve the puck to prevent a prime scoring chance. The collision knocked Raanta out for the game and Frederik Andersen replaced him. Following the play, Lomberg also received a five-minute major for charging and a game misconduct.

This was a very unfortunate play, especially because of Raanta getting hurt from it. It is important to note that it does appear that Lomberg aimed to avoid colliding with the Hurricanes goaltender, but at that point, it was impossible for him to. Even if Lomberg is known for playing a heavy game, this specific play didn't look intentional. The flow of play was simply far too fast for him to react quickly enough. 

This wasn't like the infamous Milan Lucic-Ryan Miller situation where intent was rather clear.

Here's to hoping that Raanta is okay and isn't going to miss too much time from here. As for Lomberg, any further discipline doesn't seem likely.

Photo Credit: © Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports