Toronto Maple Leafs forward Max Domi was fined $5,000 on Monday for boarding Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov at the end of Game 4 of their second-round playoff series.
The hit came just as the final horn sounded in Florida’s 2-0 win on Sunday.
Domi shoved Barkov from behind, sending him headfirst into the boards.
He then received a minor penalty for boarding, and the play sparked multiple scrums before officials intervened.
Despite the hit, Barkov got out of the scrum unscathed, and Florida’s victory tied the best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinal at two games apiece.
Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov, who appeared to catch winger Mitch Marner with an elbow to the head earlier in Game 4, was not penalized for that play, which left Maple Leafs head coach Craig Berube surprised.
“I thought that (play) was way worse,” Berube told reporters following Game 4.
Kulikov’s hit wasn’t the first elbowing incident of the series.
In Game 1, Florida forward Sam Bennett elbowed Leafs goalie Anthony Stolarz in the head moments before Stolarz exited with an injury. The goaltender was hospitalized after the game and has not resumed skating.
Multiple sports outlets report that Stolarz is unlikely to return to the series, especially given Joseph Woll’s strong performance in Game 4, where he stopped 35 of 37 shots against the Panthers.
Game 5 is set for 7 p.m. Wednesday as the series heads back to Toronto.
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