The hottest topic after the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers squared off in Game 4 of their second round series was a hit delivered by Max Domi on in the final seconds of the contest.
With under ten seconds remaining in Game 4, the second year Toronto Maple Leafs center skated across the offensive zone and targeted Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov from behind sending him into the boards awkwardly which created a scrum that led to not only Domi being assessed a five minute major for boarding, but Bobby McMann, Aaron Eklbad and Brad Marchand each receiving misconducts.
The Department of Player Safety announced on Monday morning that Domi would be receiving a $5,000 fine for the incident.
Toronto’s Max Domi has been fined $5,000, the maximum allowable under the CBA, for boarding Florida’s Aleksander Barkov.
— NHL Player Safety (@NHLPlayerSafety) May 12, 2025
The officiating in the series and specifically the game allowed incidents to go uncalled despite some dangerous moments, which was highlighted by coach Craig Berube's comments about a hit by Dmitry Kulikov. Late in the second period the Panthers defenseman targeted Maple Leafs forward Mitch Marner with an elbow to the back of the head which went unpenalized to a player who was suspended just a season ago for an illegal hit to the contest. Berube said during the morning skate on Monday "To me, the Kulikov hit on Marner was ten times worse"
Paul Maurice hockey has seemed to be defined by doing whatever you can to injure your opponent also saw a forceful hit from behind in the middle of the ice by Brad Marchand on Chris Tanev, as well as a dangerous incident where Niko Mikkola intentionally opened the gate on William Nylander as he came into the board.
In my opinion, Domi should have received a suspension for the hit on Barkov, however, it seems to be on par with not only the officiating, but also the decision making by the Department of Player Safety.
The Maple Leafs and Panthers will have a couple days of rest before the get back to the battle on Wednesday night in Toronto where you have to wonder what else will the circus known as NHL officiating let happen.