Maple Leafs vs. Panthers has turned into a battle of both bodies and minds

Sports

add

SUNRISE, Fla. – As the time wound down on the Toronto Maple Leafs’ most ineffective performance of these playoffs, Max Domi took the opportunity to send a message.

Domi lined up Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov from behind just as the final buzzer was sounding on Sunday’s 2-0 loss and sent him flailing into the boards from a vulnerable position, kicking off a scrum that could reverberate all the way back to Toronto for Game 5 of this second-round series.

Domi hits Barkov from behind, and tempers flare at the end of Game 4 👀 pic.twitter.com/38MsoyVS4c

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025

It was the kind of decision that summed up a night where the Leafs repeatedly lost their composure with the toll of a physical series starting to be felt.

And while the Panthers obviously didn’t appreciate seeing Domi take a run at their captain, there’s no reason to expect that incident to rise to anything more than a fine for the veteran Leafs forward. The NHL’s department of player safety was reviewing the incident, but no suspension was expected to come out of it, league sources told The Athletic.

“I think the league looks at those things very closely, especially at that point of the game,” said Maurice. “That’s their job.”

The NHL definitely doesn’t like anything that resembles message-sending at the end of a game. That is specifically spelled out as an area of focus in the collective bargaining agreement.

Had that hit from Domi on Barkov occurred in the first period, for example, it probably wouldn’t get a second glance from those in charge of making decisions on supplementary discipline.

Everyone involved in a best-of-seven that’s now down to a best-of-three has plenty to focus on now. There was no shortage of action as the Leafs and Panthers scrummed following the final buzzer of Game 4, including Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk sliding to the end of his team’s bench to tell Toronto’s William Nylander that he’ll be coming for him when they meet again on Wednesday night.

“I mean, obviously (Domi is) trying to take a run at Barky at the end there,” said Panthers forward Sam Bennett. “You know, the boys did a good job jumping in there and sticking up for Barky. Yeah, I mean, it’s been a physical series so I expect more of that.”

We are at a critical juncture, with the teams sitting at two home wins apiece and starting to add up the injustices.

The challenge for the Leafs will be finding a way to turn the other cheek and not fall prey to one of the Panthers’ biggest strengths. Florida could write the book on how to take an opponent’s best players off their game through distraction and repeated physical confrontation.

Judging by the opening 20 minutes of Game 4, those efforts are starting to yield results against a Toronto team that looked like it’s had enough of taking little shots and being hit at every turn.

The Leafs took four penalties in that period alone – a preposterous amount in a game carrying these kinds of stakes.

Never mind that they nearly survived it with a stout penalty kill and some superlative play from goaltender Joseph Woll. It’s clearly a recipe for disaster. Against all odds, they were only trailing 1-0 while mounting a push early in the third period until defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson halted the budding momentum with an interference penalty on Evan Rodrigues, who was knocked out of the game on that neutral-zone collision after not touching the puck.

“We don’t need to take those,” said Leafs coach Craig Berube. “Hookings and interference. We’ve got to be better. We’ll be smarter than that. In the end, I really liked our physicality, our compete out there. The guys played hard.”

They’ll need to be smart too.

The Leafs were displeased with the unpenalized elbow Panthers defenseman Dmitry Kulikov delivered on Mitch Marner during the first period of Sunday’s game. They also remember the play where Tkachuk tried to sweep out Marner’s legs at the buzzer of Game 1, plus the Bennett elbow on Leafs goaltender Anthony Stolarz in the same game.

Kulikov lands a high elbow on Marner pic.twitter.com/Xtf3d0kSUb

— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) May 12, 2025

As tempting as it may be, there’s little upside in trying to settle any of those scores.

The Panthers stormed back in this series by getting the game played on their terms at Amerant Bank Arena. The defending Stanley Cup champions will smell blood when they return north with a chance to push the Leafs to the brink of elimination.

Keeping Toronto’s stars at bay will be a big part of the game plan, which is why Tkachuk’s verbal warning shots at Nylander are worth noting. Nylander has easily been the Leafs’ most effective weapon in this series with six points, plus a breakaway opportunity in Game 4 that got broken up by a spirited Gustav Forsling backcheck.

The laid-back Swede didn’t seem to be too rattled, though.

“I mean, that’s what he does,” said Nylander. “He’ll probably do whatever he can to get a player off their game. Next game’s going to be a fun one.”

The tensions are rising. This series depends on which team can keep its cool.

(Photo of Sam Bennett, Max Domi and Calle Järnkrok: Carmen Mandato / Getty Images)

This news was originally published on this post .

Share on

email

Previous

trending_flat

Z hrdiny nešťastníkem. Tohle hodně bolí, lituje plzeňský Jemelka chyby proti Baníku

Sports

Next

trending_flat

Brundle: McLaren may have to make earlier choice in Piastri-Norris title battle

Article/Blog