Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi was fined $5,000, the maximum allowed under the league’s collective bargaining agreement, for cross-checking Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov as time expired in Game 4 of their second-round Eastern Conference playoff series on Sunday.
Toronto was losing 2-0 when the final buzzer sounded and Domi hit Barkov from behind, sending him headfirst into the boards. Domi was assessed a minor penalty for the hit at the time, while several other fights broke out before officials could get the players off the ice.
Florida’s victory tied the best-of-7 series at 2-2. Game 5 is scheduled for Wednesday in Toronto.
Toronto coach Craig Berube did not comment on Domi’s hit on Monday, but said he thought Dmitry Kulikov’s hit on Mitch Marner “was much worse”.
In that play, the Panthers defenseman hit Marner with an elbow to the upper body, leaving the Leafs forward momentarily dazed. No penalty was called on Kulikov.
This was not the first elbowing incident that drew attention in the series.
In Game 1, Panthers forward Sam Bennett delivered an elbow to the head of Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz shortly before Stolarz left the game. He was later hospitalized for further evaluation and has been unable to resume skating since. There is currently no timeline for his return.
The physical intensity of the series can continue to increase now that it’s a best-of-3. Based on how Game 4 unfolded, the Leafs are poised to strike back when they host Florida on Wednesday.
We expected [the physicality] and I think we’re okay with that. We’re handling it. We’re physical. I thought we were the more physical team [in Game 4].
Craig Berube
