- Mathieu Olivier got a five-minute major and a game misconduct for slashing Uvis Balinskis
- Florida scored on the major and finished with seven goals in a 7-3 win
- Read below for the video and what could come next from the NHL
Mathieu Olivier is done for the night in Columbus, and he did it to himself.
The Blue Jackets forward drew a five-minute major for slashing and a game misconduct late in the second period against the Panthers. He whacked Florida defenseman Uvis Balinskis between the legs, and Balinskis went down in a heap.
Here’s the video of the slash:
The penalty came at 13:44 of the period. Olivier and Balinskis had been battling for a puck along the boards, and Olivier took exception to an extra bump from the Panthers defenseman. As Balinskis skated away, Olivier took his shot.
Columbus paid for it right away. Carter Verhaeghe scored on the major power play at 17:50, which gave Florida four goals in the period. Brady Tkachuk had three of them, and the Panthers went on to win 7-3.
Balinskis stayed in the game. Olivier finished with 9:13 of ice time and a minus-1 rating.
The league hasn’t announced anything on supplemental discipline yet. Olivier is 29 and has never been fined or suspended in his NHL career, which will matter if the Department of Player Safety takes a look.
He has two goals in five games this season, against Buffalo on Oct. 1 and Pittsburgh last Friday.
