Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is expected to be fine after taking a hard hit from Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi in the closing seconds of Florida’s 2-0 victory over Toronto in Game 4 of its second-round Eastern Conference playoff series Sunday night.
Domi levelled Barkov to the ice with a strike from behind that sent the forward headfirst into the boards. Domi was assessed a penalty for boarding, and the play caused several smaller scrums to break out as the intensity ratcheted up between the Atlantic Division rivals, who are now tied in this best-of-seven series at 2-2.
Florida coach Paul Maurice, after confirming Barkov was thought to be “all right” following the incident, anticipated it would draw further attention from NHL higher-ups in determining any supplemental discipline for Domi.
“I think that the league looks at those things very closely, especially at that point in the game,” Maurice said. “That’s their job.”
While officials attempted to get players off the ice after the final buzzer, Panthers forward Matthew Tkachuk was chirping at Maple Leafs forward William Nylander from his bench, appearing to tell Nylander he’d be “coming to get him.”
“He’ll probably do whatever he can do to get a player off their game,” Nylander said of the Tkachuk conversation. “Next game is going to be a fun one.”
Game 5 is set for Wednesday in Toronto. Florida has the Maple Leafs on their heels now after Toronto opened the series with back-to-back wins at home, only to see that advantage evaporate with a pair of losses on the road. The Domi hit is the latest controversy in the series after Toronto netminder Anthony Stolarz was taken out in Game 1 following an elbow to the head from Panthers forward Sam Bennett.
Bennett didn’t receive a penalty or disciplinary action for his contact with the goalie. Stolarz has not returned because of an undisclosed injury, and, according to Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube, he has yet to resume skating.
Florida might have sidestepped a major concern with Barkov, but Maurice was less sure about forward Evan Rodrigues’ status 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 the time to undergo further evaluation.
