Panthers decry sucker punch by Habs' Domi

Canadiens center Max Domi was ejected from Wednesday's preseason game in Montreal for a punch to Florida defenseman Aaron Ekblad's face that Panthers goalie Roberto Luongo called "gutless."

Domi was given a match penalty for "attempt to/deliberate injury" and a minor penalty for roughing after punching Ekblad about a minute into the third period of the Panthers' 5-2 win.

Ekblad, who was cut on the forehead and bleeding down his face and jersey, was taken straight to the locker room and did not return, though he cleared concussion protocol after going through tests.

The encounter began in the corner when Ekblad arrived with a quick slash and a check to Domi, who returned the favor as the puck went back up the ice. The two stood face to face for a moment before Ekblad turned away, but Domi grabbed his jersey collar with his left hand and threw three jabs with the same hand. When Ekblad did not respond, Domi dropped his right glove and delivered a shot to the chin, knocking Ekblad to the ice just before referees could arrive to separate the two.

"I'm sure the league will look at it, and we definitely won't forget about it," Luongo said afterward. "You don't do that. 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."

Panthers coach Bob Boughner had similar words.

"NHL Player Safety will review it. It's in their hands now," he said. "We had a delayed penalty, and Ekblad was just trying to stay out of it. I didn't expect that he was going to drop his glove and sucker-punch him."

Canadiens players didn't see the interaction that way, particularly winger Jonathan Drouin, who was in the corner near the puck when the encounter began.

"The two were arguing with one another," Drouin said. "I saw a pretty big slash from Ekblad on Max, and Max just took matters into his own hands. It's also Ekblad's fault for not protecting himself."

Domi, who was acquired from the Coyotes in mid-July, has 135 points (36 goals, 99 assists) and 185 penalty minutes through three NHL seasons. He led Arizona in penalty minutes last year with 73.

The Panthers, who led 2-1 at the time of the incident, scored three goals in the final 9:03 to win 5-2. The teams will first meet in the regular season Dec. 28 in Sunrise, Fla.