Columbus Blue Jackets forward Anthony Duclair probably didn't need a postgame shower on Thursday night.
Duclair played just one shift - a 24-second outing - in the first period against the Winnipeg Jets and was then benched for the rest of the game. He and defenseman Dean Kukan failed to get the puck out of their zone in a joint effort, and Duclair (No. 91) didn't hustle back to pick up his man, leading to the Jets' opening goal.
Head coach John Tortorella was cut and dry about the decision after the club's fourth straight loss.
"The meetings we had today about some of the things we needed to do, if you're not ready to play you're not going to play," Tortorella told Brian Hedger of The Columbus Dispatch.
Tortorella has been extra testy of late and ripped his team after Tuesday's loss to the Buffalo Sabres. Now, Duclair has worked his way into the coach's doghouse.
Duclair has provided a nice return on the one-year, league minimum $650,000 contract signed this offseason, collecting 10 goals and five assists in 2018-19. However, he could be watching Columbus' next game from the press box.
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