Max Domi looks comfortable in year two for the Columbus Blue Jackets.
After Saturday's three-point effort in a 5-4 overtime win against the Seattle Kraken, Domi has five points (three goals, two assists) over his previous three games.
The three-point performance matches previous game-highs this season (one goal, two assists at the Buffalo Sabres Nov. 22 and Oct. 14 against the Coyotes), and he leads the team with three three-point games. Domi looks like the guy the Blue Jackets hoped for when they acquired him in a trade sending Josh Anderson the other way to the Montreal Canadiens before the 2021 season.
For what it's worth, both Anderson and Domi finished with 24 points last season and are separated by one point this season.
Domi has made highlight-reel scoring plays this season, like this clever retrieval of Jack Roslovic's pass between his legs on his first goal of the game on Saturday.
NHL Video Highlight - Max Domi does a little in-between-the-legs deke as he skates in alone and buries the shot to make it 3-1. pic.twitter.com/MsimUVOlRh
— Blue Jackets Game Bot (@CBJGameBot) December 12, 2021
"It's a great play by Jack (Roslovic)," Domi said. "Obviously he saw me kind of behind him a little bit and he sprung me, and he kinda just made a play, and low glove I think. We'll take it for sure."
Domi's second goal came less than three minutes later at 19:34 of the second period when he finished on Philipp Grubauer's doorstep to bang home Oliver Bjorkstrand's rebound.
Doorsteppin' Domi just taaaaaps it in!
— Bally Sports Columbus (@BallySportsCBUS) December 12, 2021
4-1 #CBJ!!!! pic.twitter.com/QCmLXTMWyW
It was an eventful first few months of the 2021-22 season for Domi.
Remember, he wasn't even originally slated to be on the opening night roster. After offseason shoulder surgery to repair a right labral tear, the Blue Jackets announced Domi could return to action in as many as six months—which meant it was possible he wouldn't return until after Christmas. Yes, he played (and scored) on opening night.
Then, he sustained a fractured rib in the Blue Jackets' first meeting with Seattle on Oct. 16. He missed time in COVID-19 protocol just a few weeks later.
When he's on the ice, Domi can be noticeable and effective. With 14 points (six goals, eight assists) in 16 games, he's scoring at a rate of 0.88 points per game, which ties for second on the team with Oliver Bjorkstrand, who has played 10 more games than Domi.
Domi is closing in on a couple of career milestones, too: 100 career goals (currently at 96), 200 career assists (currently at 193), and 300 career points (currently at 289).
There's something poetic about Jake Bean, Jakub Voracek, and Max Domi all being on the ice for the overtime winner tonight.
— SpecmenceCBJ (@SpecmenceCBJ) December 12, 2021
All three of them could have (and arguably should have) been selected by Seattle during the expansion draft. #CBJ #SeaKraken pic.twitter.com/d6UThBNqqv
Additionally, Domi has a knack for creating and finishing awesome-looking scoring plays, most notably with Roslovic.
The assist on Roslovic's goal (Dec. 5 against the San Jose Sharks) wasn't as fancy, but just as effective as Domi's pass beat the defenders to find Roslovic for the finish.
Domi is among the interesting players to monitor as a pending UFA, but he's making quite the case for his next deal. He and the Blue Jackets will try to make it two-for-two in the win column Tuesday night against the Vancouver Canucks.
