SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is expected to be okay after taking a hard hit from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi in the final seconds of Florida’s 2-0 victory over Toronto in Game 4 of their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Sunday night.
Domi took down Barkov to the ice with a hit from behind that sent the forward headfirst into the boards. Domi was penalized for the action, while the play sparked several more minor skirmishes as the intensity ratcheted up between the Atlantic Division rivals, who are now tied in this best-of-seven series at 2-2.
I think the league looks at those things very closely, especially at that point in the game. That’s their job.
Paul Maurice, Florida coach
As officials tried to get the players off the ice after the final buzzer, Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was saying to Maple Leafs forward William Nylander from his own bench, appearing to tell Nylander that he “was coming for him.”
He’ll probably do whatever he can to get a player off his game. The next game will be fun.
William Nylander
Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday in Toronto. Florida has put the Maple Leafs against the ropes now, after Toronto opened the series with consecutive home victories, only to see that lead evaporate with a pair of road losses. Domi’s hit is the latest controversy to seep into the series after Toronto goalie Anthony Stolarz was pulled in Game 1 following an elbow to the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett.
Bennett received no penalty or disciplinary action for his contact with the goaltender. Stolarz has been sidelined since with an undisclosed injury and, according to Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube, has yet to resume skating.
Florida could have avoided a major concern with Barkov, but Maurice was less certain about the status of forward Evan Rodrigues after he left the game following a hit from former teammate Oliver Ekman-Larsson early in the third period. Maurice said Rodrigues was still waiting at that point to undergo further evaluations.
