Blue Jackets’ Olivier ejected for slashing Panthers’ Balinskis

A careless play has led to an ejection in a very heated matchup.

On Tuesday night, Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier received a five-minute major and a game misconduct for slashing Florida Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis.

The incident occurred a little past the halfway mark of the second period on a busy night in the league. After battling for a puck along the boards, Olivier took exception to an extra bump to him given by Balinskis. As the Latvian defender started to skate away, Olivier decided to get the last proverbial word in, using his stick to whack Balinskis between the legs, sending the latter down in a heap.

The Panthers were able to convert on the ensuing major power play, as Carter Verhaeghe found the back of the net for the second time this season, capping off a four-goal period for the Cats, which included a natural hat trick from Brady Tkachuk.

Olivier left the game with a plus/minus of -1, logging 9:13 of ice time.

While it’s too early to tell if there will be any supplemental discipline as a result of the play, Olivier has yet to be fined or suspended in his NHL career.

In five games this season, the 29-year-old has found the back of the net twice, scoring against the Buffalo Sabres in a win on Oct. 1, along with finding the back of the net last Friday against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Olivier has a -1 rating this season, averaging 14:37 of ice time heading into Tuesday night.

Balinskis, who was able to continue in the game, was playing in his fourth game of the 2026-27 campaign. He has yet to score a point, but has a +3 rating, averaging around 14 minutes of ice time thus far.