Benched in third period Gaudreau was benched for the final 16 minutes of the third period in Saturday's loss to the Capitals, Aaron Portzline of The Athletic reports. Impact "We know Johnny can make a difference when he's skating and when he's involved, and tonight I felt he wasn't there," coach Pascal Vincent said after the game. "We're going to play the guys who are playing. It doesn't matter who you are. It's about the Blue Jackets, and I didn't like his game." Gaudreau had scored his first goal of the season just one game before, but he made little impact Saturday in a 2-1 loss, failing to record a shot on goal with a minus-1 rating in 11:55 of ice time. The 30-year-old did miss practice Friday to attend to a personal matter, and it's not clear if off-ice concerns may have affected his focus and compete level Saturday -- nor if Vincent intends to send a further message to his team's highest-paid player by making Gaudreau a healthy scratch Monday against the Panthers.
NOVEMBER 5, 2023 • ROTOWIRE
