The NHL preseason already is getting dicy.
In Wednesday’s third period between the Canadiens and Panthers, Montreal left wing Max Domi sucker punched Florida’s Aaron Ekblad in the nose, leaving him a bloodied mess. Domi received a minor, major and match penalty for the punch. Ekblad, thankfully, cleared concussion protocol.
Even though it looks as if Ekblad escaped without serious injury, one teammate said they “won’t forget” about what happened Wednesday.
“I’m sure the league will look at it and we definitely won’t forget about it. You don’t do that,” goalie Roberto Luongo told CTV News after the Panthers’ 5-2 win. “You respect your opponents and if your opponent doesn’t want to engage in a fight, there’s no reason to drop your glove and punch him square in the face.
“Bit of a gutless play. You don’t do those types of things.”
The league did review the incident Thursday and handed down punishment to Domi.
The two teams won’t meet again until Dec. 28, so it will be interesting to see if there’s any retaliation from the Panthers.
