The second-round series between the Toronto Maple Leafs and Florida Panthers has been intense, with no shortage of controversial incidents. Earlier this week, Max Domi was fined $5,000 USD for a hit on Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov—and Toronto fans have absolutely had enough. One fan even made a compilation of nine (!) plays that the Panthers weren’t penalized for, and the video has since gone viral among hockey fans.
The incident between Domi and Barkov happened during Game 4. Time had just expired in a 2–0 win for the Panthers when Domi suddenly drilled Barkov into the boards with a hit from behind. He was handed a five-minute major for boarding, which sparked a big scrum that led to three more players receiving 10-minute misconducts.
Florida fans were calling for a suspension for Domi, but the NHL announced earlier this week that he would be fined $5,000—the maximum allowed under the collective bargaining agreement between the league and the NHL Players’ Association. That decision hasn’t gone over well with Toronto fans, especially given how the series has played out so far.
Max Domi gets maximum fine
Right now, the Panthers might be the least-liked team in the NHL, with players like Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Bennett, and Brad Marchand delivering cheap shots almost every game. In the series against Toronto, there have been several controversial incidents where Leafs fans believe Florida has deliberately targeted opponents—and generally played mean and dirty.
Take Sam Bennett, for example: he elbowed Anthony Stolarz so hard it caused him to vomit on the Leafs’ bench. After a whistle, Matthew Tkachuk even appeared to attempt a knee on Mitch Marner. And now, Leafs fans have had it with the Department of Player Safety and the NHL’s rulings.
On social media, especially in the Leafs’ Reddit forum, one fan put together a compilation of nine (!) plays where Panthers players weren’t penalized—compared to Domi, who was fined for his hit on Barkov. The video quickly went viral, with hockey fans all saying the same thing: that the Panthers have crossed the line with some of their hits, and that the officials should’ve been much tougher on them.
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