Panthers right winger to have player safety hearing

Early in Friday night's game against the Minnesota Wild, Panthers right winger William Lockwood hit goaltender Marc-Andre Fleury while the netminder was out to play the puck behind the net.  

The play has drawn the attention of the Department of Player Safety, who announced that Lockwood will have a disciplinary hearing on Saturday for goalie interference.

The incident occurred just 2:15 into the game where he received a minor for goalie interference plus a roughing minor after the fact. 

On his next shift, Lockwood dropped the gloves with Brandon Duhaime and had to be helped off the ice afterward; his night came to an end with just 26 seconds of playing time and nine penalty minutes. Fleury, meanwhile, stayed in until just past the midway mark before exiting with an upper-body injury.

Lockwood has played in a career-high 23 games with Florida this season and has been a fixture on the fourth line in those appearances as he’s averaging just over eight minutes a night of playing time while recording one assist.  

Should he receive any supplemental discipline, it would be the 25-year-old’s first time being fined or suspended by the league.