The preseason feels like it was ages ago, but don’t be surprised if the Florida Panthers haven’t completely forgotten about it. On Friday night, the Panthers and Montreal Canadiens will go head-to-head for the first time since Max Domi split Aaron Ekblad open with a sucker punch in September. Consider this matter far from closed.
Even though Ekblad and head coach Bob Boughner insist that the incident is ancient history, it would be more shocking if Domi didn’t have to answer than if he did. That’s just hockey culture. People don’t forget until they drop the gloves. Then everyone can move on.
Domi ended up being suspended for five preseason games, which is kind of a joke considering he wouldn’t have played in every one of those exhibition tilts anyway. And if your argument was that those games were important because he needed to build chemistry with his new teammates, just look at what he’s been able to do right out of the gate (He leads the Habs in points with 35 in 37 games).
Both Bob Boughner & Aaron Ekblad says the Max Domi preseason sucker punch on Ekblad is history.
— Steve Goldstein #goldieonbermuda419 (@goldieonice) December 27, 2018
The points are too important & the only focus is on tomorrow's game vs Montreal, not retaliation. #FlaPanthers
Not only was Ekblad cut on the play, he also was forced to go through concussion protocol, which he passed. The Panthers defender has had a chance to cool off, but it’s important to remember what he said the following day:
“I think he’s stupid for doing it,” Ekblad said, per The Athletic. “Scores will be settled at a later date.”
Well, that later date is today!
So, who goes after Domi? Will Ekblad do the dirty work himself, or will someone like Micheal Haley step up for his teammate. Keep in mind that Derek MacKenzie is on injured reserve right now, so Haley would be the favorite at this point.
Putting this Domi-Ekblad storyline aside for a second...
This is as big as a game in December can get for these two teams. The Canadiens are currently sitting in the final Wild Card spot in the Eastern Conference with 43 points, while the Panthers are seven points back with two games in hand. Thankfully for Florida, they won’t have to deal with Carey Price, as he’s currently out with a lower-body injury.
That means they’ll get to face Antti Niemi instead. The former Panther has a 4-3-1 record with a 4.14 goals-against-average and a .876 save percentage this season. He gave up seven goals on 23 shots against Minnesota in his last outing.
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Joey Alfieri is a writer for Pro Hockey Talk on NBC Sports. Drop him a line at phtblog@nbcsports.com or follow him on Twitter @joeyalfieri.