Max Domi receives fine, no suspension for hit on Panthers captain

Panthers fans might be used to hearing about hard hits that can result in potential fines or suspensions. Most often, a Florida player is the one who makes the hit. However, in this case, a Florida player was on the receiving end of a hard and unnecessary hit. 

The hit

As the final seconds wound down in Sunday’s Game 4 of the second-round playoff series between the Florida Panthers and the Toronto Maple Leafs, it looked like the game would end quietly with a Florida victory. That was not the case.

With roughly seven seconds left in the game, Maple Leafs forward Max Domi laid a big hit to Florida Captain Aleksander Barkov from behind. The hit resulted in a scrum that extended beyond the end of regulation. No major punches were thrown, and both teams eventually separated and cleared the ice. 

The punishment

On Monday, the NHL Department of Player Safety issued Domi a $5,000 fine for the hit on Barkov. That is the maximum allowable amount according to the NHL collective bargaining agreement. Domi will not receive any suspension for the hit. 

Ironically, many of the same fans calling for Sam Bennett to get a suspension for bumping Anthony Stolarz with an elbow in Game 1 are attempting to downplay Domi’s hit. 

Florida has developed a reputation–some earned, some not–for being a “dirty” team that regularly doles out unnecessary hits. If the situation were reversed and a Panthers player had put the same meaningless hit on Toronto’s captain, Auston Matthews, I have little doubt a suspension would be likely.  

Regardless, seeing if anything escalates in the next game will be interesting. Players on both teams were chirping from their respective benches after the incident. Most notably, Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk seemed to issue a warning to Toronto’s William Nylander. 

Tkachuk appeared to tell Nylander, “I’m going to get you,” or something to that effect, in response to the Domi hit. 

This may have been brought to the attention of the NHL and, thus, the referees for Wednesday’s game. They could issue a warning before the game to prevent any retaliation. We will have to wait and see what happens in Toronto for Game 5.