Blue Jackets’ Max Domi to be healthy scratch vs. Panthers

Max-Domi

Columbus Blue Jackets centre Max Domi skates during the first period of against the Detroit Red Wings, Sunday, March 28, 2021, in Detroit. (Carlos Osorio / AP)

It’s Max Domi‘s turn in John Tortorella’s doghouse.

The Columbus Blue Jackets coach told reporters that the playmaking forward will be a healthy scratch when the team takes on the Florida Panthers in the Monday opener of their back-to-back series.

The fiery coach didn’t go into detail when asked why Domi would sit, but, per The Athletic’s Aaron Portzline, Tortorella was furious after the 26-year-old’s outburst against the Chicago Blackhawks three games ago when he rag-dolled Connor Murphy, attempting to force him into a fight, and benched him Saturday after he similarly lost his cool with Dallas Stars’ Rhett Gardner.

Domi has struggled in his first year in Columbus after an off-season trade from the Montreal Canadiens, putting up a career-low 0.41 points per game (19 points in 46 games) in the fewest minutes of his time in the NHL (14:45).

Domi isn’t the only top forward to draw the ire of Tortorella in Columbus this season, with blockbuster acquisition Patrik Laine getting bench several times since he was traded from the Winnipeg Jets.

[relatedlinks]

When submitting content, please abide by our submission guidelines, and avoid posting profanity, personal attacks or harassment. Should you violate our submissions guidelines, we reserve the right to remove your comments and block your account. Sportsnet reserves the right to close a story’s comment section at any time.