Mathieu Olivier didn't issue an argument for the actions that got him ejected from the Blue Jackets' 7-3 loss to the Florida Panthers on Oct. 13 at Nationwide Arena, but he did face the music.
After apologizing to his teammates for putting them on a five-minute penalty kill that resulted in a goal that put them down 4-1 late in the second period, Olivier owned up to slashing Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis between the legs after being checked.
"I can sit here and try to rationalize it all I want, but I don't even have an explanation for it," Olivier said. "It looked bad, it was bad and that's on me. I can sit here and tell you I was trying to get a reaction out of him,
but I can't even explain it."
The Blue Jackets trailed 3-1 at the time of Olivier's penalty, after allowing three straight goals by Panthers forward Brady Tkachuk for a natural hat trick. They killed 4:06 of the ensuing power play, but Carter Verhaeghe scored the first of his two goals to make it 4-1 with 2:10 left in the second.
It's the second time Olivier has picked up an undisciplined penalty that has put the Blue Jackets in a tough spot while short-handed.
Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier was ejected from Tuesday night's game against the Florida Panthers after delivering a between-the-legs slash to Panthers defenseman Uvis Balinskis pic.twitter.com/4pl9eUPolP
— Scouting The Refs (@ScoutingTheRefs) October 14, 2026
The first happened during their 6-3 victory over the Buffalo Sabres to open the season, picking up an unsportsmanlike conduct minor on top of a fighting major that put the Jackets down two skaters for a full two minutes.
That one didn't lead to a goal. The one against the Panthers broke open a game that was already slipping away.
"I apologized to my teammates for putting them in that spot," Olivier said. "It's happened a couple times this year. It's not usually what I do, but it's been happening. So, I need to look in the mirror and figure it out. That's all on me. ... I hope he's alright. That's not an area you need to attack at all and it's on me, plain and simple."
The Blue Jackets have decided not to elect a captain this season, instead going with alternate captains. Olivier was one of three Jackets wearing an alternate captain's 'A' after coach Rick Bowness picked he and Charlie Coyle to join Zach Werenski as alternates in home games.
"Ollie's the least of our problems," Bowness said. "I know that was an unnecessary penalty. He's man enough to own up to it, and you won't see that again. That I know. We'll talk about it. He's apologized to his teammates. I haven't seen him [yet]. We'll talk [Oct. 14 at practice], but listen, I love Ollie. He's a great member of this team. He's a very proud Blue Jacket. Did he make a mistake tonight? Yeah, but at least he's man enough to own up to it, and that's all you can ask. He'll move on from it and so will we."
DispatchBlue Jackets/Crew reporter Brian Hedger can be reached at bhedger@dispatch.com
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus Blue Jackets forward Mathieu Olivier on ejection: 'It's on me'
